


A Change in Scenery

by someofthissomeofthat11011



Series: Make My Own Life [2]
Category: Vampire Academy Series - Richelle Mead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-22
Updated: 2014-03-17
Packaged: 2018-01-09 16:40:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 44,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1148310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/someofthissomeofthat11011/pseuds/someofthissomeofthat11011
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With the summer starting, Rose and Dimitri find themselves facing unexpected obstacles. What will happen and how will they get through it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN VAMPIRE ACADEMY!

Rose's POV

We entered our new apartment and my jaw dropped. Lissa did not waste time. Most of the rooms were fully decorated and all of the plain walls had been transformed. I glanced at Dimitri and saw him looking around in shock.

Christian recovered first and wrapped his arms around Lissa. "It looks amazing Liss," he told her happily. She leaned back into his chest and kissed his cheek.

"Thanks Chris," she said to him softly.

Dimitri and I walked around in slow motion, taking everything in. The apartment was an array of different colors, but they all managed to look good together. Who would've thought that a pale red living room would look good next to a vibrant blue kitchen? Lissa styled it masterfully.

"Wow Liss," I said, unable to find the words.

"I knew you would like it," she said happily.

Dimitri and I kept walking around until we came to our bedroom. Lissa had the walls painted a soft orange. There were splotches of other colors and our walls reminded me of a sunset. There were no decorations in our room, for which I was grateful. I wanted me and Dimitri to decorate this room. I wanted us to make it ours.

We put our bags down and started unpacking. Lissa had already gotten us a dresser and a bookshelf for our room. I was grateful for the bookshelf, because Dimitri literally packed a library's worth of books. He unpacked his books first and they all barely fit on the giant bookcase.

We spent a long time unpacking our clothes, mostly because we had to figure out a way to separate the dresser. The dresser had five drawers, which will never be split evenly.

"Why don't we each take half of a drawer? That way you can separate your clothes the way you like to," I suggested.

Dimitri looked at me surprised. "You would be comfortable with that?" He asked me uncertainly.

"Nothing you haven't seen before," I replied with a shrug.

"Then I guess that would be alright," he said. I could see the relief in his face and I couldn't help the giggle that escaped me.

"Yeah. You won't have to put your shirts and your pants in the same drawer," I teased. I started throwing my clothes in the dresser, making sure to leave half of each drawer empty.

"I just like being organized," he said defensively.

"A little too organized if you ask me," I said, unloading the last of my clothes. I went over to the giant king-sized bed and plopped down on the comforter.

"You can never be too organized," he insisted.

I chuckled. "I don't know Comrade. I happen to know you arrange your boxers by color. Hell, you put some of your boxers in order by holiday," I teased.

I sat up so I could see his reaction. He blushed and I could see him start to think of a comeback. Then he froze and turned to me suspiciously. "How did you know that?" He asked me.

I gulped. "I… um…" I started, desperately trying to figure out an excuse.

"Did you go through my dresser?" He asked me suspiciously.

"I… um…" I was still trying to think of an excuse. Obviously I'm not going to be able to form a coherent sentence right now. I had gone through his dresser. One day when he had taken a shower right after I had. I realized I didn't have a change of clothes. I went through some of Dimitri's drawers to find clothes to wear. I still have the outfit I stole from him. I took a pair of boxers that had red and blue stripes on them. That's how I noticed that Dimitri sorted his boxers by holiday and by color. Where the stripes overlapped, they were purple. The background was black. I also took one of his plain blue t-shirts and his grey hoodie. I went back to my room like that and grabbed a spare set of clothes. I put the clothes I had taken in my duffel bag so they would be safe. I wanted to keep them, because they smelt like him and if I was upset and couldn't immediately go see him, I would put the hoodie on and immediately feel safe and comforted. I was honestly surprised he hadn't noticed their absence.

"When did you go through my drawers?" He asked me, his expression suddenly turning amused. "And does this have anything to do with my missing boxers?"

I looked down at the floor and could feel heat flooding to my cheeks. I guess he had noticed their absence. I hadn't heard him moved so I was surprised when I suddenly felt his hand under his chin forcing me to look at him. "Roza," he said softly. "You don't have to be embarrassed."

"I had forgotten a change of clothes one day," I whispered. "So I took a pair of your boxers, a t-shirt, and your grey hoodie."

"And you didn't think it would be a good idea to return them?" He asked me curiously. I shook my head. "Where did you put them? I emptied all of your drawers."

I looked at him briefly, then scooted back and picked up my duffel bag. He knew I had packed the duffel bag, because it was filled with some things that are very important to me. My acceptance letter to St. Vladimir's. All the fake Robert Hemmingway documents. The money Abe had given me. A picture of me and Lissa when she came here for my birthday. A picture of me and Dimitri when we had gotten into our cake fight. There were a few other little things I kept in there that were important to me. I also have a picture Abe had given me. It was a picture of me when I was really young. My mom and my three older brothers were crowded around me. I couldn't have been older than two or three. There was a huge smile on my face and my brothers were tickling me. Even my mother looked happy. I kept it, because it was nice to think that once upon a time, my mother loved me. I don't know how Abe got it, but I was grateful. The most cherished thing I have in my duffel bag is a little box from Dimitri. Inside the box was a ring. It wasn't an engagement ring, but a promise ring. Dimitri had surprised me with it about two weeks after my birthday. I realized I could start wearing it in public now.

I put my duffel bag in front of him and understanding lit up his face. I opened the bag and slowly pulled out the outfit I had taken from him. "I guess you want them back," I said quietly, not looking up at him. I didn't want to give them back, but they were his.

"Roza, if they mean that much to you, then you can keep them," he promised me quietly. "But if you don't mind me asking, why do they mean so much to you?"

I glanced up at him then quickly averted my eyes back to the bed. "They're a piece of you. Even when you're not with me, I can at least have that one small part," I admitted quietly.

Dimitri pulled me into a hug. "I'm always going to be here for you," he told me seriously. "Every part of me is yours. Not just one piece."

"Every part?" I asked him with a wink, trying to relieve the tension in the room. It worked. He started laughing.

"Every part," he agreed. He kissed my forehead then stood up off of the bed.

"Hey!" I whined.

"Later," he promised. "I have to finish unpacking."

I sighed and laid back down on the bed. This was going to be a long day.


	2. Chapter 2

Dimitri's POV

"I don't know Comrade. I happen to know you arrange your boxers by color. Hell, you put some of your boxers in order by holiday," Rose teased.

I blushed a little, and I was forming a snappy comeback about how someone had to be responsible and organized when I froze. Viktoria could have told her that I color-code my boxers, but no one knew that I also organized them by holiday. "How did you know that?" I asked her.

Rose visibly gulped. "I… um…" she started to say. I could see her desperately trying to figure out an excuse.

"Did you go through my dresser?" I asked her, narrowing my eyes suspiciously. I couldn't figure out if I was okay with that. Some part of me thought I should be mad for the invasion of privacy, but a large part of me was happy that she knew that little tidbit about me.

"I… um…" She mumbled, still trying to think of something that would get her off the hook.

"When did you go through my drawers?" I asked her amused. Suddenly it dawned on me that she may have been the one that took my missing pair of boxers. I had assumed I left it in the locker room after a shower and that they were thrown out. "And does this have anything to do with my missing boxers?"

Rose looked down at the floor. Her face was bright red and she looked extremely embarrassed. "Roza," I said softly. "You don't have to be embarrassed."

"I had forgotten a change of clothes one day," she whispered, still looking mortified. "So I took a pair of your boxers, a t-shirt, and your grey hoodie."

"And you didn't think it would be a good idea to return them?" I asked me curiously. Rose shook her head. I felt a rush of pleasure. That's what normal girlfriends do, right? They steal their boyfriend's clothes. Obviously with Rose masquerading as a boy, she didn't have a lot of normality in her life. I was happy that there was a semblance of normality in her love life at least. "Where did you put them? I emptied all of your drawers." I know I emptied out everything in her room. I checked twice.

She looked up at me briefly then got off the bed and grabbed her duffel bag. She put it down in front of me and just like that, I understood. I knew that this duffel bag contained everything that was really important to her. I felt thrilled that something of mine made it into the duffel bag.

"I guess you want them back," she said quietly, not looking up at me. I didn't want her to give them back and I could see the reluctance in her face.

"Roza, if they mean that much to you, then you can keep them," I promised her quietly. I wanted her to keep them. "But if you don't mind me asking, why do they mean so much to you?"

She glanced up at me then quickly averted her eyes back to the bed. "They're a piece of you. Even when you're not with me, I can at least have that one small part," she admitted quietly. I could see her blush and it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

I pulled her into a hug. "I'm always going to be here for you," I told me seriously. "Every part of me is yours. Not just one piece."

"Every part?" She asked me with a wink. I knew what she was trying to do. She was trying to alleviate the tension of our conversation. It worked. I started laughing.

"Every part," I agreed when I stopped laughing. I wanted to live in this moment forever. I used all of my self-control to make myself step away from her. I kissed her forehead and stood up.

"Hey!" She whined. Why does she have to make this so difficult?

"Later," I promised. "I have to finish unpacking."

She sighed and laid back down on our bed. I didn't want to have to wait, because I knew Lissa would have big plans for tonight. While I unpacked, I watched Rose. I was constantly worried about her after she told me that she might be taking Lissa's darkness. As I observed her frustration, I wondered how much of it was impatience and how much of it was from Lissa.

I had expected Lissa to be crabby and stressed today. After all, moving into an apartment is a big change, but Lissa was bubbly and cheerful. I wonder if that was a sign that Rose was right. I didn't want her to be right. I didn't want her to have to deal with spirit's darkness.

If Rose is taking the darkness, we'll have to figure out ways to let it out through training. She can't go around throwing pots at peoples' heads.

As I unpacked, her frustration became greater and greater. I knew she needed to let it out somehow. "Do you want to go on a run Roza?" I asked her. "We need to get in the habit of training during the summer." It was just an excuse, but a valid one. We really did need to get on some kind of schedule. I hoped that after some training, Rose's anger and frustration might evaporate by a little bit.

Rose looked at me and a bunch of emotions came across her face. Finally, she nodded and stood up grumbling about cruel and unusual punishment. She changed in front of me. We were used to it by now, so it hardly phased us. I did see Rose eye my bare chest hungrily when I changed my shirt.

I couldn't help but chuckle. Some things never change, thankfully. Once we were both adequately dressed, we went for a run outside our apartment. We ran to a park that was between four to five miles away and then ran back. When we got back, we went to the backyard and started to spar.

As we sparred, I could see the anger leaving her body. Her moves were wild and impulsive, but she became more disciplined in her moves. Pretty soon the fighter inside of her was back and she had me pinned.

I looked at her and I knew I needed her now. She studied my expression for a moment. "How did you know?" She asked me uncertainly.

I looked at her confused. I was having trouble concentrating with her sitting on me. "How did I know what?" I asked her.

"The darkness," she whispered.

"I realized that you wouldn't normally be that frustrated. When Lissa didn't even get a little stressed about the move, I was able to put two and two together," I explained.

She leaned down and kissed me. Our kiss deepened, and I was the first one to pull away. At first she looked hurt and confused. "Can we take this inside?" I asked her amused.

She looked around surprised as if she had forgotten we were outside where anyone can see us. She nodded. "I think we need to break in our new bed anyway," she said with a mischievous grin.


	3. Chapter 3

Rose's POV

Our first three weeks in our apartment flew by. Dimitri got better at recognizing signs of spirit and as a result, I was in the best shape of my life. We would do our regular trainings every day and whenever he noticed the darkness kicking in, we would do additional trainings. On days where Lissa was stressed, we could have two or three additional trainings. I hated putting Dimitri through that, but he insisted he didn't mind.

"Why do we have to run so much?" I complained one day when we were stretching before a run.

"It's important that you run. It helps with your conditioning. You won't always be able to go for a kill with a Strigoi," he told me patiently.

"Why wouldn't I kill a Strigoi? That's what guardians do," I said frustrated.

"Say you're shopping at the mall with Lissa. A Strigoi comes in. What are you going to do?" He asked me.

"Stake them," I answered without hesitation.

He raised an eye brow at me. I growled at him. He still hasn't taught me how to do that. "Do you have a stake? And assuming you steal a stake from someone, do you know how to use it?" He asked.

"Well Mr. Smartass. I would know how to use it if a certain someone would teach me," I pointed out. "Okay so no stake. I'm guessing you're going to say the same thing with lighting a Strigoi on fire and cutting off their heads. You tell me what I'm going to do. Maybe I'll suddenly get badass powers and be able to scare them away."

"This isn't a joke Rose. Strigoi aren't something you should take lightly. They're faster, taller, and stronger than you. Sometimes the most valuable thing you can do is distract a Strigoi long enough to flee. If that's what will keep your moroi alive, that's what you need to do," he told me seriously. His tone sobered me up quickly.

"I know," I snapped at him. "I already know that I am weak and slow and short. I don't need you to point it out!" I ran away from him as he was still processing my words. I knew he didn't mean it that way, but to me it hit me as an insult against my skills. It didn't help that Lissa's darkness was hitting me stronger than usual. She healed me yesterday after I fell down our stairs. I definitely broke my ankle, but she healed it and she was a mess afterwards. For the first time, I willingly reached out and took the darkness to help her. She calmed down soon enough, but then my own emotions became out of control. I was also stressed on top of the darkness, because tomorrow, Dimitri and I will be leaving for Russia and I'm terrified to meet his family.

It didn't take Dimitri long to catch up with me. He wrapped his arms around me to prevent me from moving. I thrashed about in his arms. "Roza," he breathed to me. "You need to calm down. Don't let it overcome you. I didn't mean what I said to insult you. Strigoi are faster and stronger than me too. It's not just you. When they are turned, they are given extra powers. Powers that are a great disadvantage to us. You are more competent than many fully trained guardians. I know you will be able to handle Strigoi once you learn the skills to," he told me sincerely. "I'm sorry. I should have thought about how my words would affect you."

I slumped in his arms. His voice went to great lengths to calm me down. "It's not your fault. I overreacted. It's the damn darkness. I took it from Lissa after she healed me yesterday," I admitted, not looking him in the eye.

"Roza, you can't keep doing that. It's going to tear you apart if you do," he said. I could hear the fear and worry in his voice. He only wanted what was best for me.

"I can't not take it from her. They come first," I said. "It's my duty

"Not always. You have to think about Lissa. You're not going to be able to adequately protect her if you keep taking the darkness from her," he pointed out.

"But if I don't take it, she'll go crazy," I said sadly. There was no way around it. "And there are guardians much more capable than me that can protect her. She's the last Dragomir Princess. She will always have protection."

"I can't lose you like that. You have to think about yourself. Lissa doesn't want you to protect her from the darkness. Lissa wants you to be able to protect her physically," he told me.

"There's no other way. I can't let her go crazy, but I also can't

"We'll find a way Roza," he promised me. I don't know how long he held me before we had to go back to our apartment.

We slowly walked back. I was shocked to see how far I had run until Dimitri caught up with me. I had to have gotten almost two miles away. It was strange, because I thought I was only running a minute or two.

When Dimitri and I got back, I was exhausted, but I knew we couldn't go to sleep yet. I hadn't packed a single thing for our two week visit to Russia. Well I had, but Dimitri keeps insisting Siberia isn't the arctic wasteland I think it is. I'm not convinced, so I thought it was very reasonable to pack several hoodies and long pants, but no.

I told him he should just pack for me if he's going to be so picky about what I pack. He refused. He said and I quote. 'I was a big girl, I can do it myself.'

Needless to say, I had not responded to that very well. But, I was trying to make it up to him and be on my best behavior. We made our way back to the room we were sharing and I grudgingly started packing.

When I was about half way through the suitcase, Dimitri stopped me. "Get some sleep Roza. I'll do the rest," he offered.

I looked at him surprised. "But you said I need to pack," I said confused.

"Yes, but I would rather pack than have you pass out and hurt yourself," he pointed out. "You're dead on your feet."

I would argue, but I just didn't have the energy to. Dimitri helped me walk to the bed. The last things I saw before I fell asleep were his love-filled, chocolate brown eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

Dimitri's POV

We rushed to catch our flight. Rose overslept… again. Well, it's kind of my fault. I couldn't bear to wake her until the last minute. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep and she was having such a tough week I didn't want to wake her up.

After almost ten minutes of trying to wake her, I eventually had to bribe her with pancakes. She woke up, but then I had to make pancakes for her.

It was a long morning.

The important thing is that we finally got here. We boarded our flight and took our seats on the plane.

Once our flight was in the air, one of the flight attendants came up to us. She was really tall. Probably almost six feet. She had blonde hair, but she had brown roots showing underneath. Her eyes were an electric blue. She must have achieved that color through color-contacts or something. There's no way that's her real eyes color.

"Hello, I'm Stacey. I will be the flight attendant for this section of the plane during our flight," she said. She seemed friendly. "If you need anything at all, please let me know. I'd be happy to help."

"Back off bitch," I heard Rose mutter. I looked at her confused. She said it so low I figured that I must have misheard her.

"I'm fine for now, but thank you," I told her politely.

"Are you sure there isn't anything I can get you?" She asked. She may be a little too friendly.

"I'm sure," I told her.

The flight attendant nodded and then moved on. I looked at Rose, only to see her shooting daggers at the flight attendant. She looked angry, but not spirit's darkness angry. She looked jealous angry. The pieces clicked in my head. "You're jealous," I said. I didn't mean to say it out loud, but it came out before I could stop myself.

"I'm not jealous," she snapped.

I bit back my chuckle. "It's okay to be jealous. I would be jealous if another man talked to you," I told her honestly. "Besides, if it makes you feel better, I didn't even realize she was flirting with me until you started to get angry."

Rose glanced at me. She studied my features to make sure I was telling the truth. Seemingly content, she relaxed in her seat and rested her head on my shoulder. "Okay, you're off the hook," she told me.

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks," I said sarcastically.

She looked at our flight attendant. "How do you do it?" She asked me. I could see curiosity burning in her eyes.

"How do I do what?" I asked confused.

"I live with guys. I spend almost every minute of every day with guys. How do you control the jealousy? We've been on a plane for maybe twenty minutes and I already hate every inch of that blonde bimbo," she said annoyed.

"The jealousy used to eat away at me," I admitted. "Particularly when I thought you were still a boy. That's when it was at its worst. But as time progressed, I realized those other boys were just friends to you. I started to look at them as students, not as threats."

"But even when you said the jealousy was bad, no one noticed," Rose pointed out.

"That's because I didn't show it. But when I was alone, it consumed me. Not a single day would go by where I was thinking about you. Like I said when I found out you were a girl, it got a lot better," I told her.

"Why did it get better when you found out?" She asked curiously.

"Because after that you spent almost all of your free time in my room. The only times I didn't see you was during some of your classes. The more time I spent with you, the more I grew to accept that you really love me and you weren't going to leave me. I started to accept that you were always going to have guy friends. Particularly when you're pretending to be a guy," I explained.

"I guess I did make the whole jealousy thing easier didn't I?" she asked me with a small smile.

Dimitri frowned slightly. "Don't get me wrong. I still get jealous every time I see you talking to Mason or Eddie. And don't even get me started on Christian. But it has become bearable," I told her. "You on the other hand have absolutely nothing to worry about."

"You thought you were gay once," she muttered under her breath. I could just barely make out her words. She definitely didn't mean for me to hear that.

"Yes, but that's when I thought you were a boy," I pointed out. I couldn't hide my smile at her mortified look. "There was no denying our connection. I couldn't touch you without feeling a flash of heat. I accepted that that meant I was gay." Her eyes widened slightly. "But I didn't feel that way about anyone else. Only you."

She turned a little red at my words. "I felt the same way. But…" she started to say. She stopped mid-sentence.

"Rose," I warned. "What's bothering you?"

She looked at me hesitantly. "Nothing," she said shaking her head. She looked away from me.

I gently turned her head so she had to look at me. "Rose? What's bothering you?" I asked her quietly. "Please talk to me." I could hear the desperate note in my voice. It was killing me that something was upsetting her and she wasn't talking to me.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It's just that, you work at an all guy's school. Your contact with women is minimal. How do you know that you're not going to run into some moroi that will be able to give you everything you want? I've seen you talk about your niece and nephew. You love them. You even told me you wouldn't mind having kids one day. I don't have anything to offer you," she told me. She tried not to show her pain, but a tear trickled out of her eye.

"Roza," I said gently. She opened her eyes to look at me. "You have more to give to me than anyone else out there. There is no one else in the world I would rather be with. You can give me your love. That is more valuable than a million babies. When I told you that I wanted to have kids, you were still Robert, and I was still determined not to fall for you. We see how well that worked out," I teased.

She gave me a watery smile. "I'm just irresistible," she told me with a small giggle.

I grinned at her. "No denying that," I said. I was happy that I was able to make her feel better. She looked up at me with her big brown eyes and I could resist myself. I leaned down and kissed her.

I lost track of the world around us. When we broke apart, it wasn't because we wanted to, it was because the flight attendant had returned. She cleared her throat to get attention. I pulled back from Rose red faced and embarrassed.

"Can I help you?" I asked her a little harsher than I had meant to.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," she said with a wink, oblivious to the tension. Oblivious to a lot of things apparently if she didn't realize that I obviously was with Rose. I don't make it a habit of kissing random strangers on an airplane.

"I don't need anything," I told her curtly. I turned my attention back to Rose. Rose was sitting next to me barely concealing her amusement. She was looking down at the floor of the plane so the flight attendant wouldn't be able to see her face. After a few moments, the flight attendant huffed and then walked away.

Rose looked up at me and burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" I asked her cluelessly.

"Your reaction was just priceless," she gasped out. "You looked like you couldn't believe your ears when she asked you if you needed anything."

"I couldn't. I mean, she interrupted our kiss. You would think that would be a huge indicator to her that I am off limits," I told her.

"Some girls are just like that. When we see something we like, we never want to let go of it," she explained.

I sighed. I will never understand women.


	5. Chapter 5

Rose's POV

"Hello, I'm Stacey. I will be the flight attendant for this section of the plane during our flight," she said. I saw the look she was giving Dimitri and it took a lot of self-control for me not to punch her. Dimitri's not going to fall for some blonde bimbo, I tried to reassure myself. "If you need anything at all, please let me know. I'd be happy to help."

"Back off bitch," I muttered under my breath. Dimitri looked at me confused. Was he really that oblivious? She was so clearly flirting with him. Or maybe… maybe he didn't mind that she was flirting with him.

"I'm fine for now, but thank you," he told her politely. Either he's oblivious or he doesn't mind the attention he's getting from her.

"Are you sure there isn't anything I can get you?" She asked. I practically cringed at the double meaning in her words.

"I'm sure," he told her.

She nodded at him and I watched her walk away. I already hated her. "You're jealous," he said. He looked like he regretted his words, but I was pissed. Did he not think I had a right to be jealous when some blonde model flight attendant was flirting with him?

"I'm not jealous," I snapped. I knew it was a lie and he knew it was a lie, but I couldn't help but react defensively.

He looked like he wanted to laugh, but after a moment he composed his face.. "It's okay to be jealous. I would be jealous if another man talked to you," he told me. His words were laced with sincerity. "Besides, if it makes you feel better, I didn't even realize she was flirting with me until you started to get angry."

I looked at Dimitri and studied his features. He looked like he was telling the truth. "Okay, you're off the hook," I told him.

I saw him roll his eyes. "Thanks," he said sarcastically.

I glanced back at our flight attendant. If he meant it, how does he contain his jealousy when we're at school? "How do you do it?" I asked him. I couldn't help it. I had to know.

"How do I do what?" he asked confused.

"I live with guys. I spend almost every minute of every day with guys. How do you control the jealousy? We've been on a plane for maybe twenty minutes and I already hate every inch of that blonde bimbo," I admitted annoyed. I really couldn't stand that flight attendant and I didn't know anything about her.

"The jealousy used to eat away at me," he admitted. "Particularly when I thought you were still a boy. That's when it was at its worst. But as time progressed, I realized those other boys were just friends to you. I started to look at them as students, not as threats."

"But even when you said the jealousy was bad, no one noticed," I pointed out. I seriously don't know how he managed it.

"That's because I didn't show it. But when I was alone, it consumed me. Not a single day would go by where I was thinking about you. Like I said when I found out you were a girl, it got a lot better," he told me.

"Why did it get better when you found out?" I asked curiously. I would think it would get worse when he found out I was a girl surrounded by boys.

"Because after that you spent almost all of your free time in my room. The only times I didn't see you was during some of your classes. The more time I spent with you, the more I grew to accept that you really love me and you weren't going to leave me. I started to accept that you were always going to have guy friends. Particularly when you're pretending to be a guy," he explained.

"I guess I did make the whole jealousy thing easier didn't I?" I asked him with a small smile.

Dimitri frowned slightly. "Don't get me wrong. I still get jealous every time I see you talking to Mason or Eddie. And don't even get me started on Christian. But it has become bearable," he explained to me. "You on the other hand have absolutely nothing to worry about."

"You thought you were gay once," I muttered under her breath. I didn't think he would hear me.

"Yes, but that's when I thought you were a boy," he pointed out. I turned to look at him horrified that he had heard me. He smiled at my expression. "There was no denying our connection. I couldn't touch you without feeling a flash of heat. I accepted that that meant I was gay." My eyes widened slightly. So he felt the same way. I thought it was just me. "But I didn't feel that way about anyone else. Only you."

I felt heat flood to my cheeks. "I felt the same way. But…" I started to say. I cut myself off. I didn't want to bother him with my problems. How could I explain that he works at an all guys school? He might meet someone else that he will fall in love with.

"Rose," he warned. "What's bothering you?"

I looked at him hesitantly. I shook my head. "Nothing," I lied. I looked away from him, trying to compose myself.

He turned my head so I would have to look at him. "Rose? What's bothering you?" he asked me quietly. "Please talk to me."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "It's just that, you work at an all guy's school. Your contact with women is minimal. How do you know that you're not going to run into some moroi that will be able to give you everything you want? I've seen you talk about your niece and nephew. You love them. You even told me you wouldn't mind having kids one day. I don't have anything to offer you," I told him sadly. I felt a traitor tear fall down my cheek.

"Roza," he said gently. I opened my eyes and looked at him. "You have more to give to me than anyone else out there. There is no one else in the world I would rather be with. You can give me your love. That is more valuable than a million babies. When I told you that I wanted to have kids, you were still Robert, and I was still determined not to fall for you. We see how well that worked out," he teased.

I couldn't help the small smile that formed on my face. "I'm just irresistible," I told him with a giggle.

He grinned at me. "No denying that," he said.

I looked at him and before I knew it, he was kissing me. I lost myself in the kiss. Our kiss was cut short by no other than the blonde bimbo clearing her throat.

"Can I help you?" Dimitri asked her harshly. I smiled to myself.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," she said, winking at him. I felt a spark of jealousy, but I pushed it away. She was asking for trouble. One look at Dimitri's face and I had to bite my lip to hold in my laughter.

"I don't need anything," he told her. I couldn't keep my smile off my face, especially when Dimitri turned to me, intentionally shunning the flight attendant. She walked away.

I looked up at him. "What's so funny?" he asked me cluelessly.

"Your reaction was just priceless," I gasped out. "You looked like you couldn't believe your ears when she asked you if you needed anything."

"I couldn't. I mean, she interrupted our kiss. You would think that would be a huge indicator to her that I am off limits," he told me. I choked back my laughter. He was so naïve.

"Some girls are just like that. When we see something we like, we never want to let go of it," I explained.

He sighed and I had to laugh at the expression on his face. He just looked so confused it was hilarious. I kissed his cheek lightly and snuggled into his chest ready to catch up on some sleep.

When I woke up, it was to the announcement that we were beginning our descent. I looked out my window and got my first glimpse of Siberia. I was here. I was about to meet Dimitri's family.


	6. Chapter 6

Dimitri's POV

I watched Rose become more and more nervous as our flight descended. By the time we got our rental car, she was pale and looked like she wanted to run far, far away. Before we entered the car, I walked to her side. "They're going to love you," I told her. I don't know if she believed me. How could she believe me when I wasn't too sure myself?

I leaned down and kissed her. "It's going to be okay," I promised. I opened the door and she reluctantly got in. I entered the driver's side and began the long four hour drive to Baia. Rose was unusually quiet. I knew it was because she was nervous. No matter what I tried, I couldn't break through to her. After about an hour of trying to coax her out of her shell, I gave up.

I focused on the road and the minutes seemed to drag by. Finally, I pulled up to my familiar childhood home. I got out of the car and expected Rose to follow, but she seemed to be frozen in her seat. She was staring at my house like it held all the evils of the world.

"Roza," I said to her softly. She broke out of her trance and looked at me. She took a deep breath and made herself get out of the car. She immediately latched onto my arm and I didn't have the heart to make her let go.

We made our way to my front door. Before I knocked on it, I turned to her. "They're going to love you," I promised her. I kissed her forehead. Without looking away from her eyes I knocked on the front door. When I heard footsteps approaching, I turned to look at the door. My excitement peaked. I couldn't wait to see my family.

My mother opened the door and a huge smile came across my face as she pulled me into a huge hug. "Dimka!" She shrieked. I hugged her back.

"I've missed you so much mom," I told her honestly.

"I've missed you too Dimka. I'm glad you came back to visit us. All these months you've been gone are too long," she said as she made a face.

I chuckled. "I had work mom. Plus I'm here now," I told her.

She grinned at me. She finally lightened up on her death grip. I saw the tears streaming down her face as she studied me. She looked surprised by what she saw, but a huge smile came across her face. "It's good to have you back," she said sincerely. I wondered if I was imagining the double meaning in her words.

Suddenly, I remembered Rose. I looked around and found her leaning against the side of the house. She wanted to give me time for my reunion which I was extremely grateful about. "Mom, there's someone I want you to meet," I told her. Rose walked towards my side. "This is Roza," I said with a grin.

My mother took one look at the grin on my face before she captured Rose in a giant hug. "So you're the girl who captured my son's heart? It's lovely to finally meet you," she said to her.

I grinned to myself. I knew my mom would love her. I saw Rose breathe a sigh of relief. We walked into the house where Sonya, Karolina, and Viktoria were sitting. Paul was sitting on the ground playing with a toy car. Viktoria was holding Zoya. My mom walked straight towards the kitchen. The moment I walked in the door, I was attacked by Sonya and Karolina. I saw Rose once again fade into the background. Most girls wouldn't have given me this. They would want to be the center of attention and flaunt themselves as my girlfriend. I love Rose even more for not being like that.

When my sisters had calmed down, I tried to find Rose. I saw Viktoria standing by Rose. One of her fingers was wrapped in Zoya's hand. She looked content until Viktoria whispered something in her ear. Rose's face fell, but she nodded. I wish I knew what they were talking about. I would worry about that later.

I turned back to Sonya and Karolina. "Guys, there is someone I want you to meet," I told them. I motioned for Rose to come closer. She slowly walked to my side and gave my sister's a nervous grin. "Guys this is Roza. Rose, this is Sonya and Karolina," I introduced them. Both of them greeted her warmly.

I felt someone tugging on my arm. I looked down to see Paul. "You forgot about me Uncle Dimka," Paul told me.

"I didn't forget about you. I just saved the best for last," I told him.

I was about to speak when he cut me off. "Oh. Do Zoya and Yeva first then," he told me nodding his head like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I chuckled. "Of course Paul," I said so Rose would at least know who he is. She probably figured it out by now.

Paul tugged my arm so I bent down to about his height. "She's pretty Uncle Dimka," he whispered to me.

I grinned at Paul. "Make sure you tell her that when I introduce you to her later," I told him. He nodded at me and walked away. I don't know how much the words of an eight year old are going to help, but Rose is constantly worrying about her looks and how she thinks she's ugly because her hair is short.

We were shown to our room where we dropped off our bags before we made our way back to the living room. Rose was talking to Sonya and Karolina. I could tell they loved her. My mother came back out into the living room.

"Lunch is ready," my mom told us. "I made sandwiches."

Everyone made their way to the kitchen, leaving me and Rose in the living room alone. "I told you they would love you," I told her.

She gave me a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. I needed to know what Viktoria told her. I was about to ask her, but she had already started walking towards the kitchen. I knew she was hungry so I figured I could ask her about it later.

We sat down next to each other and started to eat. After a couple of minutes of silently eating, Karolina turned to us. "So how did you two meet?" She asked us curiously.

Rose looked down at the table nervously. I think I know what Viktoria told her now. She must have told her my family didn't know about her pretending to be a boy. I squeezed Rose's hand under the table before I answered Karolina. "She's actually my student," I answered honestly.

A stunned silence met us. "Pass the mayonnaise please," Viktoria asked, breaking the silence. Of course, this didn't shock her at all. She's known about it for a long time now.

I saw my mother's eyes tighten. Crap. "That's not possible. Or is the law different in the states?" She asked. She knew perfectly well the law wasn't different there. This wasn't going to be good.

I opened my mouth to respond but Rose shook her head at me slightly. "The law is the same here," Rose admitted.

"Then how are you his student?" My mom asked her.

Rose took a deep breath. "Ever since I was a little kid, I've wanted to be a guardian. I have seven brothers, so they would always teach me their moves and it just made me more determined to become a guardian. When I found out that my mother was arranging a marriage for me, I decided to run away. My father helped me get the appropriate documents in order and I…" Rose hesitated. I saw determination replace the fear on her face. "I decided to become a boy. I wanted to be a guardian, but I didn't want to let something like my gender get in the way of my dream."

I was so proud of her in that moment. Her voice was so strong and powerful. "That's… interesting," she said to Rose. She turned to me. "I have to go bring lunch to your grandmother."

She got up and left the kitchen. I could see the pain in Rose's eyes even though she was trying to hide it. Luckily, Sonya and Karolina's reactions were much better. "That was very brave of you," Karolina told her.

Rose looked up surprised. I think because my mom didn't approve of her decision, she expected Sonya and Karolina to disapprove of it too. "I don't know how you found that courage. Not many would have, even in your situation. You're good for our Dimka," Sonya agreed.

"Th-thank you," Rose whispered. I grinned to myself happiness taking over. Everything was going to be okay.


	7. Chapter 7

Rose's POV

"They don't know," Viktoria whispered to me. I hadn't even noticed her approach me. I had been standing by the wall, watching Dimitri and his two older sisters. I was euphoric. Olena didn't hate me.

I turned to Viktoria confused. "What?" I asked her confused. I looked at the cute baby in her arms.

"This is Zoya," she told me stalling.

"Hi Zoya," I said with a small smile. I pretended to shake her hand. Her chubby hand wrapped tightly around my finger. I didn't want to break her hold on me. "So what don't they know?" I asked Viktoria.

She looked at me nervously. "Dimka didn't tell them that you're his student or that you have been pretending to be a boy," she admitted. "He just told them that you're a girl who is very special to him.

I could feel my face fall. I nodded to her. I didn't blame Dimitri. Not one bit. I wasn't upset with him, but now I was scared. There was still a chance Olena might hate me. I tried not to focus on that. I looked back at Dimitri in time to see him wave me over. I carefully broke out of Zoya's hold and walked to his side. I gave his sisters a grin that I hoped was friendly, but probably just looked nervous.

"Guys this is Roza. Rose, this is Sonya and Karolina," he introduced us. They both smiled at me warmly.

Someone tugged at Dimitri's arm. It was like an eight year old Dimitri clone. I assumed the little boy was Paul.

"You forgot about me Uncle Dimka," the little boy told him.

"I didn't forget about you. I just saved the best for last," Dimitri told him. I smiled to myself. Paul was adorable.

"Oh. Do Zoya and Yeva first then," he told Dimitri, nodding his head like it was the most obvious thing in the world. I grinned. Paul's logic reminds me of mine so much.

Dimitri chuckled. "Of course Paul," he said. So I was right. His name is Paul.

Paul tugged on Dimitri's arm. Dimitri squatted down so he was at Paul's height. "She's pretty Uncle Dimka," Paul whispered to him. I tried to pretend like I couldn't hear him.

Dimitri grinned at Paul. "Make sure you tell her that when I introduce you to her later," he told Paul. I mentally rolled my eyes.

A couple of minutes later, we were shown to the room that we would be sharing. Once we dropped off our bags we went back to the living room and talked to Dimitri's sisters.

"Lunch is ready," Olena told us when she emerged from the kitchen. "I made sandwiches."

Everyone made their way to the kitchen, leaving me and Dimitri in the living room alone. "I told you they would love you," he told me.

I gave him a small smile. They love me for now. We entered the kitchen together.

We sat down next to each other and started to eat. After a couple of minutes of silently eating, Karolina turned to us. "So how did you two meet?" She asked us curiously.

I looked down at the table, praying Dimitri would be the one to explain it to them. He gently squeezed my hand under the table. "She's actually my student," he answered honestly.

I held my breath, waiting for their reactions. A stunned silence met us. "Pass the mayonnaise please," Viktoria asked, breaking the silence. Of course, this didn't shock her at all. She's known about me for a long time now.

"That's not possible. Or is the law different in the states?" Olena asked. I had a feeling she knew the law was the same.

I shook my head at Dimitri when he looked like he was going to respond. "The law is the same here," I admitted.

"Then how are you his student?" Olena asked me. It may have been my imagination, but I think I could already hear the disapproval in her voice.

I took a deep breath. "Ever since I was a little kid, I've wanted to be a guardian. I have seven brothers, so they would always teach me their moves and it just made me more determined to become a guardian. When I found out that my mother was arranging a marriage for me, I decided to run away. My father helped me get the appropriate documents in order and I…" I hesitated briefly. Once I say these words, I can't undo them. But they needed to know. I needed his family to like me for me. "I decided to become a boy. I wanted to be a guardian, but I didn't want to let something like my gender get in the way of my dream."

"That's… interesting," Olena told me before she turned to Dimitri. "I have to go bring lunch to your grandmother." She got up and left the kitchen.

I tried to hide the pain in my eyes. I knew she was going to hate me. "That was very brave of you," Karolina told me. I looked up at her surprised.

"I don't know how you found that courage. Not many would have, even in your situation. You're good for our Dimka," Sonya agreed.

"Th-thank you," I whispered. We finished eating as Sonya and Karolina asked me questions about my life and how I was adjusting to the change.

When we had finished eating, Dimitri and I worked together to do the dishes. He washed and I dried. It shouldn't have taken as long as it did, but he was trying to comfort me the whole time.

"She'll come around Rose. She just needs to get used to the idea," he told me. I wanted to believe him so badly, but he seemed so uncertain himself.

"And if she doesn't?" I asked. "I don't want to create problems with your family Dimitri."

"My sisters love you. Paul loves you. Even Zoya loves you," he told me. "I'm sure my grandmother will love you. Like I said. My mother just needs time to come around to the idea."

I nodded my head, but didn't respond further. I didn't know what to believe. All I knew was that right now, Dimitri's mother hated me. Despite what he said, I knew how much his family meant to him. If it came down to a choice, I wasn't so sure he would choose me. And if I was being honest with myself, I'm not so sure I would want him to choose me. He would come to resent me for splitting his family like that.

When we were almost done with the dishes, I heard a knock at the door. One of the girls answered it. I couldn't hear the person at the door, but I could hear Viktoria. "Oh, he's in the kitchen," she said loudly. I could hear the uncomfortable note in her voice. I tensed a little bit. It couldn't be my mother or one of my brothers could it? Or what if something was wrong back in Montana and Lissa and Christian came?

I quickly shook my head. I was letting my imagination get ahead of myself. I probably imagined the discomfort in Viktoria's voice… or maybe I didn't. A tall moroi woman walked into the kitchen. She had black hair and electric blue eyes. She was very pretty even with the scarring on one of her cheeks.

"Hi, I'm Tasha," she said holding her hand out to me. I saw Dimitri stiffen next to me. This was not good.


	8. Chapter 8

Dimitri's POV

"Hi, I'm Tasha," Tasha said holding her hand out to Rose. I stiffened. This was my mother's doing, I just knew it. I can't believe she was here. I had thought I was never going to see her again, especially after the last time I rejected her. I hadn't exactly been nice about it.

After a moment, Rose extended her hand. "I'm Rose. It's nice to meet you?" She said the last part like it was a question. I knew she was confused by my reaction.

Tasha turned to me, her eyes lighting up. "Dimka!" She yelled as she threw her arms around me. I internally groaned.

"Natasha," I greeted. I saw Rose's eyes widen with understanding. I had told Rose about Tasha. I could understand why she didn't realize it at first. She was probably under the impression I always called her Natasha.

This wasn't good. I remembered the jealousy that flared up when I told her about my moroi neighbor that would not leave me alone. I saw her eyes tighten with a similar jealousy now.

I stepped out of Tasha's embrace and pulled Rose close to me, taking her hand in mine. I squeezed her hand gently before I spoke. "Tasha, this is my girlfriend, Rose," I told her.

I saw Tasha narrow her eyes as she looked at Rose. She was studying her as if she was a snake, ready to strike. Rose tightened her grip on my hand, but that was the only sign that she was uncomfortable with Tasha intense scrutiny.

An awkward silence ensued. No one seemed to know how to break it. "So Dimka, how long are you staying here for?" Tasha asked in a friendly tone, pretending to be oblivious to the tension in the kitchen.

It took me a moment to compose myself. "Two weeks," I answered.

"That's great! That will give us plenty of time to catch up," she said happily. I knew she was up to something.

I was about to respond when my mother joined us in the kitchen. "Tasha!" My mother said pretending to be surprised. I could see right through her act. "It's so lovely to see you. Have you met Rose? Rose, Tasha was a very good friend of Dimitri's back in the day."

"It's very nice to meet one of Dimitri's old friends," Rose said, putting emphasis on friends. I had to bite back my laugh. My mother might be trying to upset Rose, but Rose wasn't taking it. I should have known better than to worry. Of course Rose wasn't going to let my mom or Tasha get under her skin.

"You know, I promised Victoria I would spend the day with her. She wanted to get to know Rose better," I lied. "I'm going to take the two of them to a movie. I'll see you later."

Before I could make my escape, my mom stopped me. "Why don't you take Tasha with you? While Victoria is talking with Rose, you can catch up with Tasha. I know you guys used to be such good friends," she suggested.

I was about to tell her no, but Rose spoke first. "That would be lovely. I would love to get to know you better Tasha. Dimitri's hardly mentioned you," Rose said. Once again, I found myself struggling to contain my laughter. In one sentence, Rose managed to imply that Tasha wasn't that important to me. Tasha's face turned noticeably red. I would have felt bad for her if I didn't think she was trying to make me and Rose break up.

If I knew Rose, she was going to make this trip a living hell for Tasha. I didn't know whether I should stop her or help her.

Rose, Tasha, and I made our way to the living room. Rose dropped my hand and walked over to Viktoria. She whispered something in her ear. Viktoria's eyes lit up as she jumped to her feet. "What movie are we seeing Dimka?" She asked me. This was bad. This was very bad.

"What movie do you want to see?" I asked her cautiously.

"There's this really good horror movie that's out," Viktoria said slowly. Somehow I knew that she and Rose were up to something.

I sighed. "That's fine with me. Let's go," I said. I grabbed the keys to our rental car and we made our way out to the car. To my surprise, Rose got in the back while Viktoria took the passenger seat, leaving Tasha in the back with Rose. I would have thought Rose would have tried to get the passenger seat. Surely that would be the best way to get a rise out of Tasha.

Tasha looked surprised too, but didn't complain. Rose, Viktoria, and Tasha talked the whole way there. I was so surprised that Rose was kind to Tasha the whole way. When we got there, we found out we had to wait almost an hour for the next showing of the movie Viktoria wanted to see.

We took seats in the theater and waited. After about thirty minutes, Rose couldn't hold in her questions anymore. "I'm sorry if this seems rude, but what happened to your cheek?" She asked. I knew Rose was asking out of legitimate curiosity and sincerely wasn't trying to upset Tasha.

I knew what had happened and I wasn't surprised when tears formed in Tasha's eyes. "I'm sorry," Rose said. "You don't have to answer me." She meant it, which I think surprised Tasha more than anything else Rose had said.

"No. It's fine," she said sincerely. "About ten years ago, when I was living in America my brother turned Strigoi."

I heard Rose gasp and saw sympathy in her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have asked. If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to. Really. It was rude of me to ask," Rose told her.

Tasha shook her head. "I don't mind," she told Rose. "After he turned, he went after the dhampir woman and her son. He had gotten her pregnant seven years earlier, so the boy was his son too. That's when I moved to America. Their relationship wasn't exactly approved of and I wanted to help as much as I could. I often would just stop by to see them. I had no idea that he turned, so I had decided to stop by his house one day just like any other. I guess I just got lucky that I stopped by that day and not a couple of days later." Tasha had a far off look in her eyes.

"I got there as he was draining Moira's body. He never got the opportunity to turn her, because I got in his way. Hence the cheek," she said sadly, motioning to her cheek. "Somehow the guardians knew he had turned and before he had the chance to finish me off, they came. I would be dead if it weren't for them. They killed my brother and it was too late to save Moira. My nephew was taken from me. I wanted to keep him and take care of him, but because Christian was a dhampir he was sent off to be raised by the Academy. I never found out which Academy. But after that, I moved back to my childhood home here in Russia. America just had too many bad memories."

Rose's jaw dropped. "Christian Ozera?" She asked shocked. I looked at her surprised. Christian did look a little like Tasha.

Tasha eyes widened with confusion. "How did you know that?" She asked.

"He attends St. Vladimir's Academy," Rose whispered. Tasha's eyes widened more.

"You know Christian?" Tasha asked breathlessly.


	9. Chapter 9

Rose's POV

I couldn't hold it in anymore. The entire car ride and the past thirty minutes, I have been dying to find out what happened to Tasha's cheek. I hadn't asked her yet, because I was trying to be nice to her. I know Dimitri doesn't have feelings for her and I think that the only reason she was here was because Olena put her up to it. I wanted to try to get along with her. There was some truth to what Olena had said, Tasha was his old friend. I didn't want that to change because of my behavior.

"I'm sorry if this seems rude, but what happened to your cheek?" I asked. I just couldn't hold it in anymore.

Tears formed in Tasha's eyes. "I'm sorry," I said. "You don't have to answer me." I didn't mean to make her feel bad, but I was dying to know. I realized I could ask Dimitri later. How didn't I think about that before.

"No. It's fine," she said sincerely. "About ten years ago, when I was living in America my brother turned Strigoi."

I gasped and looked at Tasha sympathetically. No wonder this upset her so much. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have asked. If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to. Really. It was rude of me to ask," I told her.

Tasha shook her head. "I don't mind," she told me. "After he turned, he went after the dhampir woman and her son. He had gotten her pregnant seven years earlier, so the boy was his son too. That's when I moved to America. Their relationship wasn't exactly approved of and I wanted to help as much as I could. I often would just stop by to see them. I had no idea that he turned, so I had decided to stop by his house one day just like any other. I guess I just got lucky that I stopped by that day and not a couple of days later." Tasha had a far off look in her eyes.

"I got there as he was draining Moira's body. He never got the opportunity to turn her, because I got in his way. Hence the cheek," she said sadly, motioning to her cheek. "Somehow the guardians knew he had turned and before he had the chance to finish me off, they came. I would be dead if it weren't for them. They killed my brother and it was too late to save Moira. My nephew was taken from me. I wanted to keep him and take care of him, but because Christian was a dhampir he was sent off to be raised by the Academy. I never found out which Academy. But after that, I moved back to my childhood home here in Russia. America just had too many bad memories."

My jaw dropped. No it couldn't be. But he did look a lot like her. Same black hair, same blue eyes. "Christian Ozera?" I asked shocked.

Tasha eyes widened with confusion. "How did you know that?" She asked.

"He attends St. Vladimir's Academy," I whispered, looking down at the ground.

"You know Christian?" Tasha asked breathlessly.

I nodded. "He's my roommate," I admitted to her, finally looking up at him.

"You're roommate?" She asked. I could see the confusion on her face.

I realized she probably didn't know anything about me pretending to be a boy. Olena wouldn't have told her. I have no idea what Olena told her actually. "I… uh… well, I am kind of a boy when I go to school," I told her.

She looked at me even more confused. She also looked a little uncomfortable. I rethought my words and understood her discomfort. "Oh god. No! I'm not a boy. I meant I pretend to be a boy when I'm at school. I'm training to be a guardian, which I not exactly legal. Thus, I pretend to be a boy. Dimitri has actually been mentoring me," I explained.

Her eyes lit up. "You pretend to be a boy so you can go to school to be a guardian?" She asked. For a moment, I thought she was going to turn me in, but then I realized she was just curious.

I nodded. "I've always wanted to be a guardian," I told her softly. "I think it's dumb that just because I'm a girl I can't be a guardian. That shouldn't be how it works. What? Because I'm a girl, I can't hit as hard as a boy? I can't protect moroi as well as a boy? I can't kill strigoi as well as a boy? It's ridiculous. Especially considering I am a pretty good novice."

"The best novice in the school," Dimitri suddenly said. "She can even pin me sometimes."

Tasha looked very impressed. "Really?" She asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, but anyway. Christian became my roommate when I started attending St. Vladimir's," I told her.

"Does he know that you're not really a girl?" She asked me.

I nodded. "He walked in on me when I was in a tank top. It was kind of obvious I was a girl. But he promised not to tell anyone. He really became like a brother to me," I told her. It was true. Christian had saved my butt a bunch of times. If it weren't for him, the whole school would have found out I was a girl a long time ago.

Her eyes shone with pride. I could also see how much she missed him. "I'm glad he's grown into such a well-rounded young man," she said sincerely. I looked down at the ground again.

Was I really going to do this? I may be trying to get along with Tasha, but that doesn't mean I like her. I mean, she asked Dimitri out like five times. She even asked him to be her guardian with fringe benefits. Like seriously? But I knew she deserved this. Hell, if I was in Tasha's position, I would have wanted to know. Plus, as much as I don't like her, I have to think about Dimitri and about Christian, not about my own feelings.

I took a deep breath and looked up at her. "When we go back to America, you should go with us. Dimitri, Christian, Christian's girlfriend, and I are all sharing an apartment this summer. I'm sure he would love to see you," I offered.

Tasha's eyes lit up with excitement, then confusion crossed her face. "Why are you doing this?" She asked me confused.


	10. Chapter 10

Dimitri's POV

"When we go back to America, you should go with us. Dimitri, Christian, Christian's girlfriend, and I are all sharing an apartment this summer. I'm sure he would love to see you," Rose offered. My jaw dropped. I knew she saw Tasha as a threat. To offer to let her to see her nephew despite the fact that Tasha was now going to be around me longer was entirely selfish. It made me love Rose even more.

Tasha's eyes lit up with excitement, then confusion crossed her face. "Why are you doing this?" She asked Rose confused.

I wanted to know that answer too. "Can I talk to you alone?" Rose asked Tasha nervously. Much to my dismay, Tasha agreed and they moved far enough away from us to be out of earshot.

"I wonder what that is about," Viktoria said to me.

"I have no idea. I would've thought Rose would be trying to make Tasha insanely jealous," I said to her confused.

Viktoria nodded in agreement. "Before we left, she told me Tasha was coming with us and told me to be nice. I thought that was because she didn't want me to interfere with whatever she had planned," Viktoria explained. "I don't understand why she is being so nice to Tasha."

"Me neither," I said with a frustrated sigh. "Especially since when mom told me we should bring Tasha, Rose said something to upset Tasha. It doesn't make sense, but I can't see her being this nice to get back at Tasha."

Viktoria shook her head. "That's not how Rose operates. It's almost like she wants to be friends with Tasha," Viktoria said confused.

I scrunched up my eyebrows. "That's exactly what it's like," I agreed.

"Maybe she wants you two to be friends again. If she is friends with Tasha, maybe Tasha will be more comfortable just being friends with you," Viktoria guessed.

"Maybe," I said. Something told me it was something else. Her words on the plane came back to me.

"How do you know that you're not going to run into some moroi that will be able to give you everything you want? I've seen you talk about your niece and nephew. You love them. You even told me you wouldn't mind having kids one day. I don't have anything to offer you," she told me.

My jaw dropped. She couldn't be that selfless, could she? More importantly, could she believe that I could possibly be happy with Tasha?

"Dimka, what's wrong?" Viktoria asked me frantically. When I didn't respond, she shook me. "Dimka! If you don't answer me, I'm going to go get Rose."

I snapped out of it. "No! Don't get Rose!" I almost shouted.

Viktoria looked at me alarmed. "Dimka, what is going on?" Viktoria asked.

"I think she's going to try to convince Tasha to ask me out again," I told her quietly.

Viktoria laughed. "I'm sorry. I must have misheard you," she told me. "It sounded like you just said…"

"That's exactly what I said," I told her worriedly. "Rose constantly feels upset that she can't give me children one day. She knows I want a family. I told her that I don't care about having to give up children, but I think she still feels guilty about it."

Viktoria's jaw dropped. "You don't think she would really do that do you? I see how she looks at you. She really loves you," Viktoria told me. "Would she really give that up?"

"If she thought I would be happier without her, I really think she would," I told her seriously.

Whatever Viktoria was about to say was cut off as Tasha and Rose came back. Tasha looked extremely confused and Rose looked a little upset. Neither said a word as we waited for our show time.

The movie passed in a blur and before I knew it, we were back at my house. When we walked in, Sonya and Karolina were in the living room. My mom walked into the living room and greeted us when we came in. Rose immediately sat down on one of the couches and started talking to Sonya and Karolina.

I got the feeling that she was going to avoid my questions for as long as possible. I noticed Tasha disappeared into the kitchen. My curiosity got the better of me and I went to stand by the kitchen door to listen into their conversation.

"I can't do it Olena," I heard Tasha tell my mom.

"Nonsense dear. He'll come around," my mom told her.

"You don't understand. I don't want to do it anymore. I don't want to ruin what Dimitri and Rose have," Tasha said.

"They don't have anything," my mom insisted. "Rose is just some teen rebel that tricked him into thinking he cares for her. She's breaking our laws. Did you know that?"

"She I did," Tasha said evenly. "I've gotten to know Rose. She is quite possibly the most selfless person I know. She's good for Dimitri. I'm not going to get in the middle of that. I'm sorry."

I heard her leaving the kitchen. I quickly pretended to be listening to the conversation my sisters and Rose were having.

"It's getting late. I should be getting home," she said. I saw Rose looked at her curiously. Tasha shook her head. "It was nice to meet you Rose. I'll see you when we leave for America."

Tasha walked out of our house. For another hour or so, Rose talked and joked with my sisters. As she and my sisters got up to go to bed, my mother came out of the kitchen. "Dimka, can I talk to you?" She asked me.

I nodded. I kissed Rose gently. "I'll be up in a minute," I promised her.

She nodded and walked up the stairs. I turned to face my mother. I looked at her expectantly. She waited a moment before she spoke. "I don't want you to be with her Dimka," she said to me softly.

"No," I told her. "I don't know what your problem with her is. She's an amazing girl."

"She's a criminal Dimka," she told me. "She's breaking the law. She has you hoodwinked. She's your student for crying out loud. She shouldn't be your student at all. She needs to learn her place."

"She's found her place. She's going to be one of the best guardians out there. She's already better than half the guardians. Just because she's a girl doesn't mean she's incompetent," I said defensively. "I love her mom. I need you to accept that and I need you to accept her."

"I will not accept that! Whatever this girl has done to you, snap out of it," my mother said angrily.

"She didn't do anything to me," I said annoyed.

My mom took a deep breath. "It's me or her Dimka. That girl spells trouble," she said seriously.

My face fell. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this. Before I had a chance to respond, I heard a soft whimper. I looked up the stairs to see Rose's disappearing figure. My heart broke into pieces.

"And now she's listening in on people's conversations," my mom said annoyed.

"I choose her," I said as I sprinted up the stairs. When I got to my room, the door was locked. No matter how much I begged or pleaded, I couldn't make her open the door. I ended up breaking in. Now I knew why Rose didn't open the door.

It's because she wasn't here. The window was open. She must have climbed down the wall. It was too dark for me to see anything. I dropped to my knees by the window. She's gone. Before I had the chance to let myself fall to pieces, I heard a piercing scream in the distance. I knew that scream.


	11. Chapter 11

Rose's POV

"Can I talk to you alone?" I asked Tasha. She agreed and we walked away from Dimitri and Viktoria. We went far enough away that I knew Viktoria and Dimitri wouldn't be able to hear us.

Tasha looked at me curiously. "Why are you being so nice to me? The moment I met you, I tried to flaunt the fact that I knew Dimitri growing up. When Olena was there, you were a little mean to me, but the moment she was gone, you've been nice. You even invited me to America. Why?" She asked me.

I shrugged. "Well, one you deserve to see your nephew. Christian is like a brother to me. I don't want to keep something from him that could hurt him. When you were talking about him, I could see how much you care about him. You deserve to see him and he deserves to see you. Secondly, I know the only reason you're here is because Olena wanted you to be here. And… well… I don't think Olena necessarily has the wrong idea," I told her honestly.

She looked at me confused. "Olena wants me to…" she started to say.

"Break me and Dimitri up? Yeah I guessed as much," I told her cutting her off.

"Then, why? Why would you let her do that?" She asked me.

"Before Dimitri found out I was a girl, when we were still falling in love, he told me that what he wanted more than anything else in the world was to have a baby. You could give him that," I told her quietly. "You could give him more than I ever could. I love him with all my heart, but I'm not good enough for him. Also, Olena would love for you to be with Dimitri. I don't want to create hard feelings within his family."

Tasha looked at me shocked. "What exactly are you saying Rose?" She asked me confused.

"I want you to ask Dimitri out again. I think if he gave you a real chance, he could love you. You could make him happy," I told her. "He could have a baby," I added softly.

"I… I don't know," Tasha said.

"Just think about it, please," I asked her. It was killing me to do this, but Dimitri deserved real happiness. He didn't need to be with someone that was constantly hindering him.

"I'll think about it, but Rose are you sure about this?" Tasha asked me.

I looked her right in the eye. "I'm sure about one thing. And that's that Dimitri deserves to be happy," I told her sincerely.

She nodded at me. We sat in silence for another moment before we went to rejoin Viktoria and Dimitri. I avoided eye contact with Dimitri and the second we were home, I launched myself into a conversation with his sisters. I noticed Tasha went into the kitchen. I assumed she was talking to Olena. A couple of minutes after we got home, Tasha left the kitchen.

"It's getting late. I should be getting home," she said. I looked at her curiously, not sure if I wanted her to say yes or no. She shook her head. She wasn't going to ask Dimitri out. "I'll see you when we leave for America." I was glad she was still going to come with us to America. I'm sure Christian would be happy to see her.

She left and I turned back to Dimitri's sisters. One thing she was right about was that it was getting later. About an hour later, we all decided to go to bed. I was dreading this, because I knew Dimitri was going to bombard me with questions. Before I had a chance to go upstairs with Dimitri, Olena came out of the kitchen.

"Dimka, can I talk to you?" Olena asked him. He nodded to her.

He gave me a quick kiss. "I'll be up in a minute," he promised me.

I nodded and walked up the stairs. "I don't want you to be with her Dimka," I heard Olena say. I froze on the top step. I knew it was wrong to listen into their conversation, but I couldn't make myself move.

"No. I don't know what your problem with her is. She's an amazing girl," Dimitri told her.

"She's a criminal Dimka. She's breaking the law. She has you hoodwinked. She's your student for crying out loud. She shouldn't be your student at all. She needs to learn her place," Olena said. I winced at her harsh words.

"She's found her place. She's going to be one of the best guardians out there. She's already better than half the guardians. Just because she's a girl doesn't mean she's incompetent. I love her mom. I need you to accept that and I need you to accept her," Dimitri told her.

"I will not accept that! Whatever this girl has done to you, snap out of it," Olena snapped.

"She didn't do anything to me," Dimitri insisted..

"It's me or her Dimka. That girl spells trouble," Olena told him. I felt my heartbeat race. This is what I had been dreading. I couldn't stop the whimper that escaped me. I sprinted towards Dimitri's room and locked the door. I knew the door wouldn't stop him, but it would delay him.

I opened the window and looked down. It shouldn't be that hard to climb down the wall. The bricks are uneven, leaving many spots that I could hold onto. If I fall, it's not that much of a drop. I knew I needed to get out of here. I was not going to come between Dimitri and his family.

Just as I expected, the wall was easy to climb down. It took me less than a minute. I had no idea where I was going. I hadn't been gone long when I was grabbed from behind. I let out a loud scream before they put their hand over my mouth. I struggled in their hold, but no matter what I did, I couldn't escape. He pulled me into a dark street between two buildings.

Another figure stepped out in front of me. It took one look at his red-rimmed eyes to make me lose all resistance.

I knew I was going to die. I had nothing to kill them with. Dimitri's talk the other day came back to me. No stake, no flames, and nothing to chop off their heads with. He told me to run, but he never told me what to do if I can't run.

The one Strigoi shoved me into a wall. They stood on opposite sides of me, making sure I couldn't escape. Not that I didn't try. I sprinted towards the gap between one of the strigoi and the wall of a building. I wasn't quick enough. He shoved me into the wall harder than before. My head snapped back and hit the wall. Hard. I saw black dots in my vision.

I knew this was the end. I wasn't going to be good enough. I was going to fail Dimitri. As if my thoughts had conjured him, he appeared. He staked one of the Strigoi before they realized he was there. He turned to the Strigoi that had pushed me into a wall. I watched him fight as the dots in my vision got larger. Every hit the strigoi landed on him made me wince as if the strigoi were hitting me.

It didn't take him long to take out the Strigoi. He was fighting with a fury I had never seen in him before. He carefully picked me up. I started to close my eyes.

"Don't close your eyes Roza. Stay awake for me. Please, stay with me Roza," he begged.

How could I not listen to him? But I was so tired. "You were right about strigoi Comrade," I told him.

"Stay with me Rose," he begged. "I know those Strigoi hurt you, but stay with me."

I struggled to keep my eyes open. I knew I was fighting a losing battle. "I don't want you to choose," I whispered to him before the darkness consumed me.


	12. Chapter 12

Dimitri's POV

I followed my instincts. Rose couldn't have gotten that far away. I searched everywhere I could think of. I wasn't going to give up. Rose wouldn't scream like that if she wasn't in trouble. As I was walking through town, I finally had a stroke of luck. I saw a shadow disappearing down an alley. I was hoping it was someone who might have seen Rose.

What I saw shocked me. Rose started to sprint towards one of the openings between a man and the building. I saw the man stop her and throw her into the wall. She fell to the ground and she didn't look like she was going to be able to get up. Something told me these weren't just two men. As I walked closer, I finally could make out the red-rim around the man's eyes. These were strigoi.

I snuck down the street. I know Rose saw me, but I couldn't let her distract me or she would be killed. I couldn't let that happen. I staked one of the Strigoi before he had a chance to realize I was there. He must have been a young strigoi, to allow himself to be that distracted by Rose. I pulled my stake out of his back and turned to the other Strigoi, the one that had thrown her into the wall.

I fought with an unmatched fury. He hurt Rose. This was personal. We exchanged several blows. It took a couple of minutes, but I finally found my opening. He aimed a punch to my stomach, which I sidestepped and elbow him in his side. He stumbled backwards, leaving his chest wide open. Before he could defend himself, I staked him.

I didn't even wait for the light to leave his side. I went to Rose's side. I knew I should take care of the strigoi bodies, but I couldn't. I had to help Rose. I figured no one was going to come out at this time of night. The sun would effectively get rid of them.

I picked Rose up and she started to close her eyes. I started to walk towards my house. I would have run, but I didn't want to make her lose consciousness from rocking her too much.

"Don't close your eyes Roza. Stay awake for me. Please, stay with me Roza," I begged. I was terrified that if she closed her eyes, she would never open them.

"You were right about strigoi Comrade," she told me in a weak voice. I had to suppress my eye roll. Only she would say that when she was on the brink of death.

"Stay with me Rose," I begged. "I know those Strigoi hurt you, but stay with me." I felt furious that those Strigoi had hurt her this badly. At least I had killed them. They weren't going to kill anyone else ever again.

I could see her struggle to keep her eyes open. "I don't want you to choose," she whispered to me. I saw her give up and close her eyes.

"No! Roza?" I called. "Roza!"

When she didn't answer, I started to sprint. I had never run that fast in my life. I got back to my house a moment later and fastened Rose into the passenger side of my car. I ran inside and got my keys. I ignored my mother's questions and ran back out. I sped to the hospital. They admitted rose immediately and left me in the waiting room, pacing frantically.

It was almost 4:00 in the morning before I went up to the receptionist and begged her to let me in. "Only family can see her," she told me.

"I'm her husband," I answered immediately. She looked surprised then nodded. "Have you contacted her mother?" I asked her nervously.

She shook her head. "She gave us her father's number," she told me.

"She gave it to you?" I asked surprised. "That means she's awake."

The receptionist nodded. A nurse rounded the corner. "Shelby," the receptionist called. The nurse looked up at her surprised. "Rosemarie Mazur's husband is here to see her."

The nurse looked up at me. "Dimitri?" She guessed. I nodded. "Rose has been asking for you."

I felt a sudden burst of pleasure knowing she had been asking for me. I followed her through a maze of hallways. The nurse told me I had to wait outside. "Your husband is here," the nurse told her.

"I'm sure he is," Rose said amused. "What I'm not sure about is why you are in here and he is not."

I had to stifle my laughter. The flustered nurse let me go in and walked away. I walked over to Rose's bed and sat down on the edge.

"So you're my husband now?" Rose asked with an amused smile. I also thought I detected a sad note in her voice.

"I guess so, but you didn't seem all that surprised about that," I told her, narrowing my eyes suspiciously.

"That's because when they told me only family could visit me, I figured you would go with husband or brother. I hoped you wouldn't say brother because then I wouldn't be able to do this," she said. She pulled my head down and pressed her lips to mine.

I kissed her for a moment. It was a short, but sweet kiss. "Don't leave me like that again," I pleaded when I broke apart from her.

Her face fell. "Dimitri. I can't have you choose between me and your mom," she told me quietly.

"That's not your choice to make. Rose, I've spent the last six hours worrying about whether or not you would survive. I cannot live without you and I don't want to. I love you," I told her sincerely.

Her hand came to my cheek to wipe away a tear I didn't know I cried. "Don't cry," she whispered to me. "I just want you to be happy."

"I can't be happy with anyone but you," I told her. "Not even Tasha."

Her eyes widened. "Did Tasha ask you?" She asked nervously.

I shook my head. "She didn't need to. I know you well enough to figure out what you were planning. And it wasn't going to work," I told her.

She sighed. "You might come to regret being with me. Dimitri, I ruin everything. Your relationship with your mother. Your chance of having kids. I doubt you'll even want to marry me one day," she said bitterly. She turned bright red as she realized what she just said. Now I think I understand the sad edge to her voice when she had asked if I was her husband now. I hadn't thought much about marriage, simply because I had never found someone I thought I would want to be with for the rest of my life. Until I met Rose.

"That's not true," I told her quietly. "I don't care about not having kids with you. If I can't have them with you, I don't want them at all. As for my relationship with my mom, my mother will come around. She'll realize that she's wrong eventually. It's just hard for her when someone challenges her beliefs. As for the marriage thing. It isn't practical for guardians to get married." I saw her face fall as she nodded. "But it also isn't practical for guardians to fall in love and have a relationship. Like with everything, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." I realized then that I did want to marry Rose. Not now, nor any time soon, but I do eventually want to marry her.

I saw her face light up with hope. She nodded in agreement. "I love you Dimitri," she told me.

"I love you too Roza. Always," I promised her.

I leaned down and kissed her. It wasn't like our kiss when I had first entered her hospital room. This kiss was passionate and full of love. I pulled back when her heart monitor started going a little crazy.

She looked up at it. "That's embarrassing," she said.

I chuckled at her embarrassment. Her cheeks flushed a deep red and to me, there was never a more beautiful sight.


	13. Chapter 13

Rose's POV

I was released the next morning. Dimitri never once left my side. I was completely exhausted, but I didn't waste my precious time with him. When we were in the car, I finally asked him the question that had been nagging at the back of my head.

"What now Dimitri?" I asked him nervously.

"What do you mean?" He asked me confused.

"I got the idea that I might not be welcome in your house," I told him quietly.

"Is she doesn't let us stay there, we'll find a hotel," he told me instantly.

I looked at him surprised. "A hotel?" I asked him.

He nodded. "I'm here to see my family. I still want to spend time with Sonya and Karolina. Maybe we could take Paul out for ice cream one day," he suggested. "Plus, you still haven't met my grandmother."

I tried to keep the fear off my face. If Olena didn't like me, surely his grandmother wouldn't like me. "Yeva will love you," he promised me. "She's not like my mother. You remember what I told you about her."

I nodded. "That she's a witch? Yeah," I said.

He rolled his eyes. "Not a witch and you know it. More like… I don't know. She knows things," he explained.

"I forgot. She doesn't turn people into toads," I joked.

The corner of his lips turned up as he fought a smile. "If she thinks your 'worthy' of me, she will love you," he told me. "And I already know you're worthy of me, so no worries."

I rolled my eyes at him. We spent the rest of the trip talking about his childhood memories. I've heard most of them before, but it's different when you're actually in the place that's talked about.

The hours flew by and before I knew it, we were back at Dimitri's house. We put our bags in his rental car before we went back into the house.

We spent the rest of the day with Karolina, Zoya, and Paul. Paul refused to introduce himself to me until I had met Yeva. He told me to call him 'Uncle Dimka's nephew'. I couldn't call him that with a straight face. It was nice to spend some time with them. About an hour before the sun set, Dimitri and I left to go find a hotel to stay at. I insisted he let me pay for the hotel room since it was my fault and because Abe gave me enough money to buy all of Russia. I might as well use it.

We found a hotel that was only about thirty minutes from his home. The hotel room we got was more of a suite. It had one bedroom, one bathroom, a living room and a kitchen area.

"Do you want to go get something to eat or are you too tired to eat?" He asked me after we dropped our bags off in the bedroom.

I looked at him like he was crazy. "I'm never too tired to eat," I told him matter of factly.

He chuckled at my statement. "I should have phrased that better. Are you too tired to eat out? We could always order in," he told me.

I grinned at him. "Let's order in," I told him. I was too tired to order out, but I also want to enjoy our privacy. That's one of the things I miss about St. Vladimir's. I could spend every night in Dimitri's room and no one would know. The bedrooms on either side of Dimitri's are empty. Now, Christian and Lissa are one thin wall away. When I thought we were staying in Dimitri's house, Viktoria was going to be right next to us.

But now? We're all alone. Dimitri ordered a large pizza. While we were waiting for it to come, Dimitri unpacked our clothes. I sat on our bed and watched him. I was surprised when he let me, but I wasn't about to complain about getting out of work. When the pizza came, we ate in silence. Then we went to the bedroom where we took advantage of our alone time.

The next week passed in a similar fashion. I loved spending time with Dimitri's sisters. They were able to tell me so many funny stories about him. I loved hearing about the things Dimitri did as a child.

I didn't meet Yeva until the last day of our stay. It was our last day in Russia and I was determined to meet her. When we had arrived at the Belikov's house, Olena gave me the same cold treatment she's been giving me all week. I found Karolina and Viktoria. I couldn't find Sonya and I found out she was at a doctor's appointment.

I was sitting in the living room holding Zoya and talking to Karolina and Viktoria when Yeva walked into the room. She looked at me then turned to Dimitri and muttered something in Russian. She spoke for a very long time. Dimitri gave me the thumbs up, so I'm assuming she said something good.

When she had stopped talking, Dimitri turned to me. "Babushka, this is Rose. Rose this is my grandmother Yeva," he introduced us.

Yeva muttered something else in Russian then left. I waited until she passed through to the kitchen before I went over to Dimitri.

"What did she say?" I asked him curiously.

He shook his head. "That's not important. All that's important is that she approves of you," he told me. I could see the happiness in his eyes, but I was still determined to find out what she said.

Before I had the chance to badger him with more questions, Paul came up to me. "Hi, I'm Paul," he said extending his hand. "You don't need to call me Uncle Dimka's nephew anymore."

"I don't know. I think that name might stick," I teased him as I shook his hand. I had avoided calling him Uncle Dimka's nephew as much as possible, because quite frankly it was such a long name to say.

He shook his head. "Aunt Rosie, that's not how this works," he told me. "You have to call me Paul."

My jaw almost dropped when he called me Aunt Rosie. I had not been expecting that. Of course, Dimitri was euphoric. I quickly recovered and turned to Paul.

"How bout we strike a deal?" I asked him. He immediately looked up at me with interest. "I'll call you Paul if you call me Aunt Rose, not Aunt Rosie."

He thought about it for a moment than gave me a huge smile. "Sounds good to me Aunt Rose," he told me.

I grinned at him. "Then we have a deal, Paul," I told him. Once again, we shook hands.

I noticed Karolina was grinning at us. Once Paul had disappeared, she turned to Dimitri. "You might have some competition Dimka," she told him. Her eyes had an amused glint to them.

Dimitri looked at her confused. "What are you talking about?" He asked her. I was a little curious myself.

"Paul asked me last night if you were planning on marrying Aunt Roza," Karolina explained with a grin. "I told him I wasn't sure and he said, and I quote, 'Aunt Roza is pretty. I want to marry her'."

I giggled at that. Dimitri turned thoughtful. "So who will it be? Me or Paul?" He asked me jokingly.

"Oh, you know. The eight year old has totally captured my heart," I teased.

Dimitri grinned at me. "Any chance I can change your mind?" He asked seductively as he stepped closer to me.

That's all it took for everything to disappear. "I don't know. You'd have to make a pretty convincing argument," I told him.

He pulled me closer to him and gently pressed his lips to mine. It didn't take long for the kiss to pick up.

"EEW! Aunt Rose is going to give Uncle Dimka the cooties!" Paul shrieked.

We broke apart and looked at Paul's retreating figure. Karolina was on the couch, hysterically laughing. I started laughing too and Dimitri was soon to follow.

For the next couple of hours, we spent our time with Sonya, Karolina and Viktoria. When Sonya came home from her doctor's appointment, she bore good news. She was pregnant. We went out to a nice restaurant and celebrated. Then we went out to a club. I don't know who's genius idea it was to take the pregnant woman to a place that primarily served alcohol, but whatever.

Dimitri refused to let me drink anything with alcohol. Technically the drinking age is 18, but the club didn't really enforce that rule. And did he stop Viktoria from drinking? Nope he actually bought her a drink. I kid you not. So my seventeen year old self is too young to drink, but Viktoria's sixteen year old self isn't? Sounds legit.

I didn't mind after a while, because I got to see a very drunk Dimitri. That might quite possibly be the funniest things I've ever seen in my life, definitely worth staying sober. Plus, someone had to keep Sonya company. This was definitely a very memorable last day in Russia.


	14. Chapter 14

Dimitri's POV

Our time in Russia really flew by. Aside from my mother, my family loved her. Well, at least all the ones that met her.

Yeva still hasn't met her and I don't know if that's a good thing. When it was the last day of our stay, Yeva finally came down to meet Rose. I have a strange feeling she planned it that way but I cannot figure out why.

"Не позволяйте моя дочь тебя расстраивать Димка. Она хороша для вас. Я немного оскорблен, что она не пришла ко мне. Я старушка и моей бедной больной конечности не могут обрабатывать все это движение. Помимо того, что очень невнимательный к пожилым людям, что она в порядке. И она нетерпеливо Димка, но я видел это. Она будет делать хорошие вещи," she said to me in Russian. (According to google translate, this means "Don't let my daughter upset you Dimka. She's good for you. I'm a little insulted that she didn't come to see me. I'm a little old lady and my poor aching limbs can't handle all this movement. Aside from being very inconsiderate towards the elderly, she's okay. And she's impatient Dimka, but I've seen it. She'll do good things.")

I mentally rolled my eyes at her rant. Her 'aching limbs' couldn't handle movement about as much as mine couldn't. I saw Rose watching her anxiously, so when Yeva wasn't looking, I gave Rose the thumbs up.

When Yeva was done, I turned to Rose. "Babushka, this is Rose. Rose this is my grandmother Yeva," I introduced, in English.

"Ленивый американской потребности, чтобы научиться говорить на русском," Yeva muttered. (Lazy American needs to learn how to speak Russian.)

I rolled my eyes again. I wasn't going to hold my breath for Rose to learn Russian. I watched Yeva walk into the kitchen. Rose did not waste any time. The second the door closed behind Yeva, Rose walked over to me.

"What did she say?" Rose asked me curiously.

I shook my head. There was no way I was going to tell her my grandmother thinks that she's lazy and that she needs to learn how to speak English. "That's not important. All that's important is that she approves of you," I told her. I was ecstatic that Yeva approved of her.

I could see a question forming in her eyes, but I was saved by Paul. He walked right up to Rose and held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Paul," he said to her. "You don't need to call me Uncle Dimka's nephew anymore."

"I don't know. I think that name might stick," she teased him. I know she didn't mean it. She had avoided addressing him by anything so she wouldn't have to call him Uncle Dimka's nephew.

Paul shook his head. "Aunt Rosie, that's not how this works," he told her. "You have to call me Paul."

I couldn't hide my grin. He already considers her his aunt.

"How bout we strike a deal?" she asked him. "I'll call you Paul if you call me Aunt Rose, not Aunt Rosie."

He thought about it for a moment than gave her a huge smile. "Sounds good to me Aunt Rose," he told her.

Rose grinned at him. "Then we have a deal, Paul," she told him. Once again, they shook hands.

Paul ran out of the room. "You might have some competition Dimka," Karolina told me. There was a twinkle in her eyes.

I looked at her confused. "What are you talking about?" I asked her.

"Paul asked me last night if you were planning on marrying Aunt Roza," Karolina explained with a grin. "I told him I wasn't sure and he said, and I quote, 'Aunt Roza is pretty. I want to marry her'."

I pretended to think about it. "So who will it be? Me or Paul?" I asked Rose jokingly.

"Oh, you know. The eight year old has totally captured my heart," she teased.

I grinned at her. "Any chance I can change your mind?" I asked seductively, taking a small step towards him. I had already forgot Karolina was in the room.

"I don't know. You'd have to make a pretty convincing argument," she told me.

I pulled her closed to me and our lips met. I could never get enough of her. Just as our kiss was picking up, we had to be interrupted.

"EEW! Aunt Rose is going to give Uncle Dimka the cooties!" Paul shrieked.

We broke apart and looked at Paul's retreating figure. Karolina was on the couch, hysterically laughing. Rose started laughing and eventually, I started laughing too.

For the next couple of hours, we spent our time with Sonya, Karolina and Viktoria. I loved seeing how well they got along. I was so happy when I found out Sonya was pregnant. I was going to be an uncle again.

We decided to go to a nice restaurant. Just the five of us. After we ate dinner, we somehow ended up at a club. I don't know whose idea it was, but no one objected.

I saw Rose try to order a shot of vodka at the counter and I stopped her. I didn't want her to get into the habit of drinking. It was a little hypocritical, because I ordered a shot of Russian vodka. I didn't want Rose to follow my example. Plus, she was underage. I also didn't want her getting drunk in a foreign place. Who knows what Russian guys would try with her.

After a few too many shots, a blonde moroi came up and started flirting with Rose. She didn't lead him on, but she didn't stop him either. After that, my world started to become fuzzy.

I cannot believe I drank so much last night. For the first time ever, Rose was the one waking me up and not the other way around.

She pressed her lips to mine. I thought I was still in my dream, but then it picked up. It was too real to be a dream.

When she broke the kiss, my eyes flew open. "Morning sleepy head. How are you feeling?" She asked me.

I groaned. "I have the worst headache ever," I complained.

"That's what you get for drinking all that alcohol," she said amused. She turned away from me briefly. I realized there was a cup and some pills on her end table. She handed them to me.

I quickly swallowed them and drank all the water. "Thank you," I said gratefully.

She shrugged. "I figured you would have a pretty bad hangover," she said.

I went to sit up in bed. It's not just my head that hurts. I'm sore everywhere. "What happened last night?" I asked.

"You don't remember?" She asked. She really didn't look surprised.

I shook my head, thinking hard. "The last thing I remember was the moroi with blonde hair flirting with you," I said. That's really when my drinking picked up.

Rose giggled. "I figured. I've never seen you drunk before. You should drink more often," she said jokingly.

I groaned. "I'm never drinking again," I told her. And at that point, I meant it.

She rolled her eyes. "Sure you're not," she told me. Her tone made it obvious she thought I was lying.

"You never told me what happened last night," I told her.

She gave me a mischievous grin. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She asked mysteriously.

I groaned. I would indeed like to know.


	15. Chapter 15

Rose's POV

For the first time in… ever, I was awake before Dimitri. I can't really say that was a surprise. He did drink his body weight in alcohol.

I looked at the clock. We still had almost three hours until the flight, but we had to stop and get Tasha first and Dimitri liked to be early for everything, so I felt it was appropriate to wake him up.

I snuggled under the blanket, contemplating how to wake him up. I decided to be nice about it. I kissed him. His lips immediately responded to mine, but he didn't fully wake up. As the kiss picked up, I expected him to wake up, but still nothing.

I frowned and broke the kiss. His eyes flew open. "Morning sleepy head," I said with a grin. I was lying on my side facing him. "How are you feeling?"

He groaned. "I have the worst headache ever," he complained.

"That's what you get for drinking all that alcohol," I told him, unable to hide my amusement. I turned to grab the glass of water and pills I had gotten for him last night. I knew I wouldn't want to get out of bed this early in the morning. I brought the blanket with me as I turned and it took a great deal of effort for me to look away from him. He wasn't wearing any clothing.

He swallowed the pills and drank the water eagerly. His headache must be really bad. "Thank you," He said gratefully.

I shrugged. "I figured you would have a pretty bad hangover," I told him. He would have to be a machine to not feel the effects of his drinking last night.

He went to sit up and winced. "What happened last night?" He asked.

"You don't remember?" I asked. I wasn't that surprised.

He shook his head and looked like he was concentrating really hard on something. "The last thing I remember was the moroi with blonde hair flirting with you," he told me. I giggled before I could stop myself. He was drunk before that happened, but afterwards, he went straight past drunk to unbelievably wasted.

"I figured. I've never seen you drunk before. You should drink more often," I told him jokingly. I really wouldn't mind.

He groaned. "I'm never drinking again," he told me. He looked like he meant his words.

I rolled my eyes. "Sure you're not," I told him. Isn't that what everyone says when they have a hangover. He'll definitely get drunk again.

"You never told me what happened last night," he told me. He was determined to find out.

I smiled at him. "Wouldn't you like to know?" I asked him mysteriously.

He groaned.

I chuckled as I hopped out of bed. His questions could wait until after breakfast. His eyes practically popped out of his head when he saw me. I looked down and realized I was not wearing a single article of clothing. I never bothered to put them back on last night. I gave him a smug smile, loving the effect I had on him. "See something you like Comrade?" I asked in a seductive voice.

His eyes roamed up and down my body as he stood up. It was becoming more and more difficult not to stare at him. I certainly saw something I like. I might have to make it a requirement that Dimitri go shirtless for every training session we have from now on. "No," he told me. I felt a moment of rejection and pain as his words sunk in. He was telling the truth. He left me no doubt. I started to reach for the blanket on the bed to wrap it around my body. "I see something I love," he finished.

I mentally slapped myself. How could I doubt him like that? I should've known him better. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and met Dimitri's amused expression. His eyes were filled with love and lust.

I quickly looked away from him. "Hungry?" I asked him.

"You have no idea," he told me seductively.

I blushed. "That's not the kind of hungry I was talking about," I whispered.

"So how about we deal with this hungry first?" He asked me as he walked over to me.

I stood motionless. I wasn't going to say I didn't want this, but I was hungry. And we had a flight. But the moment he touched me, those thoughts vanished from my mind. I stood on my tip toes and met his lips halfway.

Fifteen minutes before we had to meet Tasha, Dimitri and I were fully dressed sitting in the little kitchen of our hotel suite. We had to eat a quick breakfast or else we were going to be late for our flight.

"You know you never told me what happened last night," Dimitri reminded me while I ate my cereal.

"Well, I did kind of just show you our late night activity," I told him, blushing.

He chuckled. "I love your blush," he said softly, caressing my cheek. "But I had to have done something else last night."

I chuckled to myself. I feel like he would be mortified if I told him everything he told me. "Well…" I said hesitantly. "Did you know that you like to talk when you're drunk? Like a lot?"

He looked at me curiously. "I knew that I talk while I'm drunk, but the last time I got drunk…" He started. He hesitated for a moment. "It was with Ivan. And he wasn't exactly sober. What did I say?"

I gave him a small, sad smile. Then I looked at the clock. Where had the time gone? "Shit! Comrade, we have to go get Tasha," I told him.

He looked at the clock surprised. "Don't think that this gets you out of telling me what happened. It's a long flight and Tasha won't be sitting with us," he warned me.

I briefly wondered how I would be able to get out of that conversation. We rushed to the car and then to Tasha's. When Tasha got in the car, she immediately started talking about how excited she was to see Christian. She told us stories from when Christian was young. Dimitri and I just listened. I hoped she was getting it out of her system. Not that I didn't like hearing about Christian when he was a toddler. It gave me a lot of material to make fun of him with, but her constant talking was starting to give me a headache. I can't even imagine how Dimitri's feeling. After what felt like hours, we finally arrived at the airport.

We had to rush onto the plane and we made it as they were about to close the door. We found our seats. Because Tasha ordered her ticket after ours, she was on the other side of the plane. I didn't mind too much, because I was excited for the last bit of alone time Dimitri and I could have this summer. We could be kind of alone at the apartment, but Lissa and Christian would always be there, one thin wall away.

When we had gotten comfortable in our seats, Dimitri turned to me. "So what did I say last night?" He asked me eagerly.

I groaned. He wasn't going to let go of this.


	16. Chapter 16

Dimitri's POV

"So what did I say last night?" I asked her eagerly. I was dying to know.

Rose groaned. "Come on. It couldn't have been that bad, could it?" I asked her confused.

She turned a deep red and looked out the window. "I wouldn't necessarily call it bad," she told me.

I looked at her confused. "Would you care to clarify?" I asked her hopefully.

She sighed and took a deep breath. "You told me… well you called them secrets," she told me not looking at me. "And… not just me."

I was quite possibly more confused than before. "What do you mean not just you?" I asked her, not sure if I wanted to hear the answer.

"Well…" She started to say hesitantly. "They were having karaoke at the club we went to last night."

"I know. A lot of people can't sing," I told her. "I remember that much."

"Well, you went up on the stage and took the microphone," she told me. She suddenly looked fascinated with the back of the seat in front of her.

A feeling of dread slowly seeped into me. "Roza, what did I say?" I asked her.

"You walked up onto the stage and said, 'Hi everyone. I have a secret to tell all of you. But you can't tell Roza'," she told me. I groaned. Maybe I didn't want to know this. Too late now. "Then you said-" she cut herself off and looked at me. "Are you sure you want to hear this?"

I nodded to her. "I want to know if I can ever set foot in Russia again," I told her.

"You know Russia's a really big country. Surely you could visit someplace that's not Siberia and be fine," Rose told me.

I groaned. "Roza," I warned. "Tell me."

She looked down at the floor again. "Then you said, 'There's this special girl named Roza'," she told me. Then she whispered something.

"What?" I asked her. "You spoke too low."

"You told everyone you wanted to marry me," she whispered. This time I heard her. I turned bright red. "You said you didn't care how stupid it was for us to get married, you wanted to make me yours."

"Rose, I'm sorry about that," I told her apologetically. She shrugged at me. She was pointedly looking away from me, so I couldn't see her face. "There's something else isn't there?" I asked her worriedly. What else could I have possibly said?

She shook her head. "You didn't say anything else on the stage," she told me evasively.

"What did I say off the stage?" I asked her.

She sighed. "That's all you said Dimitri," she said bitterly.

I looked at her shocked. Something was bothering her. "Rose," I said, taking her hand. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she muttered withdrawing her hand. I thought back to the conversation. She was fine until she told me what I said on the stage. The lightbulb went off in my head.

"Roza," I whispered. "Are you upset because I said I would want to marry you?" I asked her anxiously.

She looked at me like I was crazy. "Why would I be upset over that?" She asked confused.

"I don't know. That's just when you started to act angry," I told her.

She bit her lip and then looked at me. "Dimitri, I never actually thought about getting married. Even when my mom had set up an arranged marriage, I didn't think about getting married, I thought about how to get out of the wedding. My whole life has been about finding a way to live my own life," she told me. "When you said that last night, I realized how much I might want that. I never thought about it before, because I never found someone I could see myself being with for the rest of my life. And part of me knows you only said the marriage thing because you were drunk. But I figured a drunk person's words are a sober person's thoughts. I was obviously wrong. I realize that now and I don't know why I'm still talking."

She looked down at the floor. There was obvious pain in her eyes. I didn't understand her words. She didn't think I meant what I said? She thinks I only said it because I was drunk? It didn't make sense to me. Then I realized she may have misunderstood my apology. She may have thought I was apologizing for saying it when I really was apologizing for saying it in public.

"Rose, I meant it," I told her quietly.

She looked up at me surprised. "Wh-what?" She asked me uncertainly.

"Do you remember what I said to you while you were in the hospital?" I asked her seriously.

"You could have just been saying that to make me feel better," she mumbled as she looked away from me.

I internally groaned. "Roza! I do want to marry you!" I told her a little frustrated.

Rose looked up at me. "You do?" She asked me in a small voice.

"I mean obviously not right now. I want to wait until after you graduate and you are allowed to be a female guardian," I told her. "I don't want to have to hide our relationship."

She looked up at me shocked. "You… you do want to marry me someday?" She asked me.

I cupped her head in my hand. "I love you Roza. Never doubt that," I told her. "I may have been drunk, but I meant every word of it."

She grinned at me. "I love you too. I'm sorry. I overreacted. I should have heard you out," she told me.

I pulled her face closer to mine so our lips were almost touching. "Yes, you should have. But it's okay," I told her.

I pressed my lips to hers. She tangled one of her hands in my hair and wrapped her other hand around my waist, pressing me as close to her as we could possibly be in airplane seats. I put one hand on her back, pulling her closer to me. My other hand was on the back of her neck.

I heard her moan in the back of her throat. I pulled back and looked at her. There was a hunger in her eyes that matched mine. "When does this get easier?" She asked, looking annoyed.

"When does what get easier?" I asked her confused.

"Ever since the first time we had sex, all I want to do is have sex with you. I can't kiss you without wanting to have sex with you," she grumbled. I couldn't help the smile that came across my face. "When will it get easier? When will I be able to be with you and not want to rip off your clothes?"

I chuckled to myself. "I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels that way," I muttered to myself. From her giggle, I'm assuming she heard me. "I don't know when it will get easier," I told her. "But for now, I'm okay with it being difficult."

Suddenly, there was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Care to test that theory?" She asked seductively.

"We're on an airplane," I told her confused. "I may not mind it, but I'm pretty sure the other passengers might have a problem with us having sex right now."

"Who said anything about doing it here?" She asked as she stood up.

I watched her walk towards the bathroom. Was she serious? After a minute when she didn't come back, I got up and walked towards the bathroom. I took a deep breath. I cannot believe I'm doing this.


	17. Chapter 17

Rose's POV

I was lying on the plane seat wrapped in Dimitri's arms a couple of minutes before we would begin our descent. I can't believe he agreed to do that. I really can't. I mean sure, I had hopes, but I didn't think he would actually follow me to the bathroom.

I glanced at Dimitri and had difficulty looking away. His brown hair fell down his face. He looked so calm and peaceful when he slept. I couldn't look away even if I tried. "It's rude to stare Roza," Dimitri told me without opening his eyes.

Dammit. I got caught. "It's also rude to pretend you're asleep," I retorted.

He chuckled and finally opened his eyes. "I was asleep… at first," he told me.

I rolled my eyes. "Normal people open their eyes when their awake," I told him.

"Are you calling me weird?" He asked me, pretending to be insulted.

I grinned at him. "Did you ever think you were really normal comrade?" I asked him teasingly.

He rolled his eyes at me. "You pretend to be a boy to go to school and I'm the weird one," he said jokingly.

"Glad we understand each other," I told him cheekily.

He was about to respond when the flight attendants voice came over the speaker telling us to buckle our seat belts. Our plane descended and before I knew it, we were landing in America. It was dark out so Dimitri was on red alert as we walked to our car. The sun had set maybe an hour ago. When I saw the car in the airport parking lot I let out a sigh of relief. I had been worried it might have been stolen while it was sitting here for two weeks.

The airport we flew into was a little less than an hour away from our apartment, so I settled into the passenger seat of Dimitri's little Honda Civic, trying to get comfortable. It's not that the ride was long, I was just exhausted after our plane ride.

So when I settled into my seat, I was expecting a nice quiet car ride. That was not what I got.

I got sucked into Lissa's head. Now this has only happened three or four times since the accident. Part of that reason is because I have been so distracted by my own problems and that makes it easier to mute the bond. The other part is because I usually only get sucked in when Lissa is terrified of something.

But this time, Lissa wasn't scared. No, Lissa was happy. She was with Christian.

I couldn't push myself out of her head. Christian was kissing her in a way I will never be able to unsee/ unfeel. It reminded me of the way Dimitri kissed me… no this was not Dimitri!

I watched as Christian took off my… no her shirt. That's when it dawned on me. This wasn't just a hard-core make-out session. No, Lissa and Christian were going to do it. I could see from Lissa's thoughts that this would be their first time. This is not something I was interested in seeing.

But try as hard as I could, I couldn't get out. Lissa took off Christian's shirt and trailed her hands down his chest. I almost gagged. This didn't count as cheating on Dimitri, did it? Shit, I had to get out of here.

Christian stripped Lissa of the rest of her clothing. The condom came out as Lissa's hands made their way to the rim of his pants.

Go to Dimitri. Go to Dimitri, I chanted to myself. I squeezed my eyes closed tight. I was not going to watch my best friend having sex. Finally with the biggest effort I have ever exerted, I pulled myself out of her head.

It took me a moment to get my bearings. We were pulled over to the side of the road and Dimitri was sitting by my side with both of his hands on my shoulder. Tasha was looking at me from the back. She looked extremely worried. "Rose?" Dimitri asked uncertainly.

I shook my head. "Who else would I be?" I asked annoyed. I knew my anger wasn't justified, but you would be pissed too if you were just sucked into your friend's head when she was about to have sex.

"It's just your face went blank and then you weren't responding to us," he told me. I instantly felt bad. Dimitri was just worried about me and I was being a bitch.

"Sorry," I told him grumpily. "I got sucked into Lissa's head."

He was instantly on alert. "Is she alright?" He asked me.

When I had been telling him about the bond, I told him I only got sucked into her head when she was in serious danger, and that was true… at the time. So I could understand why he would be worried.

I nodded to him. "This wasn't like the other times," I told him. I glanced at Tasha. I didn't want to talk about my best friend's sex life in front of her. Especially since my best friend's sex life involves her nephew.

When I looked back at him, I mouthed later. He nodded. He understood that I didn't want to talk about this in front of Tasha. And I knew I would need to tell him about this. Only he would be able to help me forget what I saw.

We continued the rest of the trip in silence. I tried to ignore the happiness and pleasure flowing through the bond. I was grateful when those feelings changed to eager anticipation that we would be home soon. We would be able to walk in with them being fully clothed. When we pulled up to the parking lot, I could practically hear Lissa jumping up and down with excitement.

Dimitri and I took the lead while Tasha trailed behind us. We were going to make her presence as much of a surprise as possible. When we walked in the door, Lissa immediately attacked me, wrapping her arms firmly around me. "I missed you Rose!" She told me.

"I missed you too Liss," I told her. And I did. I enjoyed my time with Dimitri, but I missed my best friend.

"Chrissie," I called.

"What Rosie?" Christian asked as he joined us in the living room.

"I brought you a gift," I told him.

"If it's from you no th-" He cut himself off as Tasha stepped around me so Christian could see her. His eyes widened with shock. "Aunt Tasha?" He asked as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

Lissa looked at him surprised. "The Aunt Tasha from when you were little?" Lissa asked him.

Now that pissed me off. I understood that he was in love with Lissa and all, but the fact that he trusted her with his childhood when he didn't trust me with it, made me so angry.

Christian nodded. In the next second, he had crossed the room and wrapped his arms around Tasha. Tears were streaming down Tasha's cheeks. "Christian," she whispered.

"I never thought I would see you again," Christian whispered to her.

Their reunion lasted a few more minutes. Dimitri, Tasha, and I were completely exhausted. I wasn't sure if I would easily be able to adjust to going on a night schedule again. I had gotten so used to being on a human schedule these past two weeks. I told Dimitri to go to bed. I had to talk to Christian.

"I'll be waiting," he whispered to me. He kissed my cheek then went to our bedroom. Christian showed Tasha to the spare bedroom in our apartment then started to make his way back to his bedroom.

"Why didn't you tell me Chrissie?" I asked in a small voice. It was really bothering me. I had told him everything and he had kept something this important from me.

He turned to face me. "Am I not allowed any privacy?" He asked me angrily.

I flinched. I knew I couldn't stay here and have this discussion now. I would end up killing Christian, which probably was not a good idea.

I stomped away from him towards our bedroom. I was so angry, I was looking where I was going and I walked into a warm wall. The wall wrapped its arms around me and I realized it was Dimitri. He knew I was going to need him and he was ready. I collapsed in his embrace. He held me while I fought my tears. I knew I needed to talk to him. He was the only one I could trust.


	18. Chapter 18

Dimitri's POV

I woke up with my arms wrapped around Rose. I only opened my eyes a little bit, not enough to alert anyone to the fact that I was awake.

I saw Rose look at me and she didn't look away. I felt a rush of pleasure as I saw the smile that spread across her face.

"It's rude to stare Roza," I told her after a moment. I didn't open my eyes.

The look that came across her face was hilarious. She looked as if she had been caught doing something she knew she shouldn't be doing. "It's also rude to pretend you're asleep," she retorted.

I chuckled and opened my eyes. She was right. "I was asleep… at first," I told her.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Normal people open their eyes when their awake," she told me jokingly.

"Are you calling me weird?" I asked her, pretending to be insulted.

She grinned at me. I don't think I would ever get used to her smile. "Did you ever think you were really normal comrade?" She asked me jokingly.

I rolled my eyes at her. Right. I'm the weird one. "You pretend to be a boy to go to school and I'm the weird one," I teased her.

"Glad we understand each other," she told me.

I was about to tell her how flawed her logic was, but I was interrupted by the flight attendant's voice coming over the speaker asking us to buckle our seatbelts.

Our plane descended and pretty soon we were landing in America. As we walked to the car, all of my senses were alert and ready for anything. We really should have timed our flight better so we landed during the day and not a couple of minutes after the sun set.

We all got into my car and I saw Rose sit in the passenger seat. She looked completely exhausted.

We were in the car for about five minutes when Rose's face went completely blank. "Rose?" I asked her uncertainly. I raised my voice a little bit. "Rose."

"She's probably just sleeping Dimka," Tasha told me. "Let her sleep."

I pulled the car over. "Rose!" I said, lightly shaking her shoulders. She didn't move. "Rose!"

I shook her again. "She's not waking up," I said panicked. Nothing like this has ever happened before.

"I'm sure she's fine," Tasha said. The tone in her voice made me feel like she really didn't care. I briefly looked at her. I took in the bored expression on her face. She may respect Rose, but that doesn't mean she likes her. So why put on the act? She clearly wants Rose to think that she likes her. I shook my head, concentrating on Rose. I would figure out Tasha later.

After a few more minutes, Rose opened her eyes, life returning to her features. Tasha instantly looked worried for Rose's well-being.

"Rose?" I asked uncertainly.

Rose shook her head. "Who else would I be?" She asked annoyed. I regarded her carefully. Whatever had just happened was really upsetting her.

"It's just your face went blank and then you weren't responding to us," I explained to her.

Her face fell and she looked at me apologetically. "Sorry," she said grumpily. "I got sucked into Lissa's head."

I tensed, ready for anything. I remember what Rose told me about the bond. She only gets sucked into Lissa's head when something is wrong. "Is she alright?" I asked her worriedly. We were still at least thirty minutes away.

Rose nodded to me. "This wasn't like the other times," she told me. She glanced at Tasha and an uncomfortable look came across her face. I understood. Whatever it was must involve Christian.

She looked back at me and mouthed later. I nodded. There are some things that she didn't need to talk about in front of Tasha.

The rest of the trip was silent. Rose looked angry and uncomfortable the entire way home. When we were about ten minutes away, her expression looked relieved.

Rose and I walked ahead of Tasha, trying to keep her a secret as long as possible. It was Rose's idea to surprise Christian.

When we entered our apartment, Lissa ran to Rose, immediately giving her a big hug. "I missed you Rose!" Lissa told her.

"I missed you too Liss," she told her.

"Chrissie," Rose called.

"What Rosie?" Christian asked as he joined us in the living room.

"I brought you a gift," Rose told him. I could hear the excitement building up in her.

"If it's from you no th-" Christian started to say. He cut himself off as Tasha stepped around Rose so Christian could see her. His eyes widened with shock. "Aunt Tasha?" He asked as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

Lissa looked at him surprised. "The Aunt Tasha from when you were little?" Lissa asked him uncertainly.

I felt Rose stiffen. I think she was upset that Christian didn't tell her about his past.

Christian crossed the room and wrapped his arms around Tasha. "Christian," Tasha whispered.

"I never thought I would see you again," Christian whispered to her.

After a few minutes, everyone started to go to bed. Rose told me to go to bed. I understood that she needed to talk to Christian.

"I'll be waiting," I told her. I kissed her cheek and went to our bedroom. The second the door was closed, I was internally fighting myself. It was not right to eavesdrop, but I was dying to know what happened. I knew that this could be extremely emotional for Rose.

"Why didn't you tell me Chrissie?" I heard Rose ask in a fragile voice. That's what made my decision. Rose was going to need me.

"Am I not allowed any privacy?" Christian asked. I could hear the anger in his voice.

Rose stomped away. I didn't know whether she would be angry or upset, but whatever she was feeling, I was ready for it. She wasn't paying attention to where she was going and she walked right into me. I wrapped my arms around her and she leaned into my hug.

She looked like she was fighting tears and I quickly lead her to our bedroom. We sat down on the edge of the bed. She snuggled her head into my shoulder, still holding back her tears.

"Roza," I whispered. She started sobbing. I rubbed soothing circle into her back as she let out her tears. I whispered to her, trying to calm her down.

"Shhh, Roza," I told her calmly. "It's okay. Everything will be okay."

"Everything won't be okay," she sobbed. "I told him everything. He couldn't tell me this?" I looked at the look of utter betrayal on my face and I felt my heart breaking for her. This wasn't easy for her.

"I'm sure he had his reasons," I told her. "Maybe he couldn't bring himself to admit it. You, more so than any other novice, have dedicated your life to fighting people like his father. He could have been worried that you would have reacted badly to that."

She calmed down a little bit. "He should have known me better," she said stubbornly.

I sighed. She was the most stubborn person I have ever met. "Roza, I know your upset, but you can't hold this against Christian," I told her. "He made a mistake and I'm sure after he's gotten over the shock of Tasha being here, he'll admit it." At least I hope so. Those two are great friends. I'm sure they'll make it through.

Rose took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down more. "But what if he doesn't? What if he doesn't care about me enough to tell me stuff like this? I told him everything? How could he not have trusted me?" She asked.

"Oh Rose," I whispered, kissing her forehead. "You just have to give him time. He'll come around and explain it to you in the end. Patience would be your greatest asset right now."

She took a deep breath and finally stopped crying. She looked up at me and smiled. "You know you're a walking fortune cookie, right?" She asked me with a small chuckle

I tried, unsuccessfully to fight my smile. "I am not," I told her as I rolled my eyes.

"Patience would be your greatest asset right now?" She asked jokingly

"That's a statement of fact, not a fortune cookie," I told her.

"Fortune cookie," She coughed.

I suddenly stood up. "I don't think you should keep calling me a fortune cookie Roza," I told her.

She looked up at me, her eyes sparkling with playfulness. "I dunno Comrade. I really think you are a fortune cookie," she told me. "What's my punishment?"

I gave her a small smile. "Wouldn't you like to know?" I asked as I walked out of the bedroom.

I stood to the side of the door frame. Three. Two. One.

Sure enough, Rose left the room. I grabbed her and she leaned into my chest.

"Was that my punishment?" she asked me curiously.

I couldn't hide my chuckle. "Oh Roza, what am I going to do with you?" I asked jokingly.

"I can think of a couple of things," she told me with a wink

I sighed. "Not right now," I told her.

Rose looked crushed. "Why not?" She asked me desperately.

I looked at Rose, shocked at the tone in her voice. "Rose, sex shouldn't be a distraction," I warned her. I didn't want her having sex with me for the wrong reasons.

Rose looked at me, her expression filled with shock and anger. "You think I have sex with you as a distraction?" She asked me.

I regarded her seriously. "Why else would you be so desperate to have sex with me right now?" I asked her.

"It can't be because I love you more than anything else in the world. No, that would be too obvious," she said sarcastically. I could hear the anger in her voice. I definitely said something wrong.

"Rose," I told her. "That's not what I meant."

"Save it Dimitri," she told me angrily. "I don't want to hear it. I would expect you of all people to know me better than that."

Rose turned and sprinted away before I could say anything back. I chased after her and caught up to her as she was rounding a street corner, she sent a well-aimed kick my way. I let her go after that. She would be back soon and she just needed time to cool off. With a sigh I headed back towards our apartment to wait.


	19. Chapter 19

Rose's Point of View

Before I had the chance to fall to pieces in the hallway, Dimitri lead me to our bedroom. He set me down on the edge of the bed and I snuggled my head into his shoulder. I was still determined not to cry.

"Roza," he whispered. Just that one word was filled with so much love and emotion, I found myself unraveling. I couldn't suppress the sobs that racked my body. He held me close to him and whispered in my ear while he rubbed soothing circles in my back. For once, he spoke in English.

"Shhh, Roza," he whispered. "It's okay. Everything will be okay."

"Everything won't be okay," I sobbed. "I told him everything. He couldn't tell me this?" Christian was the closest thing I had to a brother and I felt like he had betrayed me.

"I'm sure he had his reasons," Dimitri rationalized. "Maybe he couldn't bring himself to admit it. You, more so than any other novice, have dedicated your life to fighting people like his father. He could have been worried that you would have reacted badly to that."

I considered Dimitri's words. "He should have known me better," I said stubbornly. Some part of me knew Dimitri was right, but I couldn't bring myself to accept it.

I heard Dimitri sigh. I knew I was frustrating him, but I couldn't help it. "Roza, I know your upset, but you can't hold this against Christian," he told me quietly. "He made a mistake and I'm sure after he's gotten over the shock of Tasha being here, he'll admit it."

I took deep breaths, trying to control my crying. "But what if he doesn't? What if he doesn't care about me enough to tell me stuff like this? I told him everything? How could he not have trusted me?" I asked, my tears picking up again.

"Oh Rose," Dimitri whispered kissing my forehead. "You just have to give him time. He'll come around and explain it to you in the end. Patience would be your greatest asset right now."

I took a deep breath, finally calming down enough to stop my crying. I gave Dimitri a small smile. "You know you're a walking fortune cookie, right?" I asked him with a watery chuckle.

Dimitri's lips turned up as he struggled to hide his smile. "I am not," he insisted as he rolled his eyes.

"Patience would be your greatest asset right now?" I asked teasingly.

"That's a statement of fact, not a fortune cookie," he told me matter-of-factly.

I rolled my eyes. "Fortune cookie," I coughed.

Dimitri suddenly stood up. He had a playful glint in his eyes. "I don't think you should keep calling me a fortune cookie Roza," he told me suggestively.

I looked right at him, my mood immediately catching up with his. "I dunno Comrade. I really think you are a fortune cookie," I told him. "What's my punishment?"

Dimitri gave me a small smile. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He asked with a wink as he walked out of the bedroom.

I stared after him, mouth agape. I jumped out of bed and went to follow him. The second I was out the door, arms grabbed me from behind. I would have screamed if the arms weren't so familiar and comfortable. I immediately melted into his embrace.

"Was that my punishment?" I asked him curiously.

He chuckled. "Oh Roza, what am I going to do with you?" He asked jokingly.

"I can think of a couple of things," I told him with a wink. I spun around in his arms so I was facing him. Aside from the fact that he was a ridiculously tall monster, we were almost face-to-face.

He sighed. "Not right now," he told me.

I felt rejection crash over me. "Why not?" I asked him, a slightly desperate note in my voice.

I saw Dimitri look over me, shocked. "Rose, sex shouldn't be a distraction," he chastised me.

I looked at him shocked. "You think I have sex with you as a distraction?" I asked him. I could feel my anger sparking up. How dare he?

Dimitri looked at me seriously. "Why else would you be so desperate to have sex with me right now?" He asked me.

I looked at him shocked. "It can't be because I love you more than anything else in the world. No, that would be too obvious," I said sarcastically.

"Rose," Dimitri started. "That's not what I meant."

"Save it Dimitri," I told him angrily, holding up my hand as a gesture to stop. "I don't want to hear it. I would expect you of all people to know me better than that."

He opened his mouth to say something, but I didn't give him the chance to say it. I turned and sprinted away.

I didn't hear him follow me, but I knew that didn't mean anything. Sure enough, just a few minutes later, his warm hand grabbed me. I wasn't going to have that though. I sent out a kick, and from his soft cry of pain, I knew I hit my mark.

I would give myself the chance to feel bad about that later, but for now, I needed to get some space. I needed to be alone. I don't know how long it was before I stopped running, but I knew I was far enough gone that Dimitri would not be able to find me.

I sat down on the side of the building and gave myself a chance to think. My anger before suddenly seemed irrational. I knew I had a right to be angry at Christian, but I had no reason to explode at Dimitri like that. I took deep breaths and calmed myself down. I closed my eyes and put my head in my hands. I was such an idiot.

The next time I looked up, I was startled to see night had fallen. I stood up and looked around.

I felt a brief moment of fear. I had no idea where I was. I picked a random direction and started walking, praying I was going the right way.

I hadn't gotten far when hands grabbed me from behind. These weren't like Dimitri's hands, that felt safe and warm. These hands were cold, hard, and deadly. I turned slightly to confirm my suspicions. Sure enough, red-ringed eyes were staring back at me.

Something cracked across the back of my head and my world went black.


	20. Chapter 20

Dimitri's Point of View

I paced our apartment as I waited for Rose to get back. I knew she was angry, but she should be back by now. She's been gone for hours.

There was a soft knock on my bedroom door. I ran to it and opened it, hoping Rose would be on the other end. She wasn't .

Lissa was looking at me with a tired look on her face. She must have just woken up. "You need to stop pacing Dimitri, or you're going to wear a hole in the carpet," she told me amused.

I shook my head. If I stopped pacing, I may go insane . "I can't ," I said frustratedly. If I stopped pacing, I wouldn't be able to do anything about the fear twisting in my stomach .

"Dimitri… What's wrong?" Lissa asked cautiously. I could see the concern in her face.

"Rose still isn't back yet," I admitted quietly.

Lissa scrunched her forehead up in confusion. "She's not back? Where did she go?" Lissa asked me.

I bit my lip. "I did something stupid ," I admitted. "Rose got mad and she ran away."

Lissa immediately tensed up. "How long ago did she leave?" She asked urgently.

"About an hour after we got back," I admitted grudgingly.

"That long ago?" Lissa shrieked. I stared at her shocked. " Something's not right . Rose would never go this long without calling and checking in on me ."

"She left her phone here," I told her, trying and failing to calm her down.

Lissa shook her head. "Even if she was angry, she would break into a human's house to call me and let me know she was okay. It's what she does. No matter how angry she is, she always makes sure that I am okay and that I know she's safe," Lissa told me frantically.

"She's done this before?" I asked shocked.

Lissa looked at me like I was nuts. "Do you realize how many fights she would get into with her mother?" Lissa asked me. "She would just leave and go for a walk or something. She could disappear for days and stay with Abe, but she would always… ALWAYS, call me before it was dark out. ALWAYS."

"Lissa, calm down," I told her. "I'm sure Rose is fine."

Lissa shook her head. "Something's not right," she said seriously .

I was going to try to calm her down more when suddenly my phone was going off. Hoping it was Rose, I rushed to the end table and answered without looking at the number.

"Hello?" I asked hopefully.

A male's voice said something back. For a moment, I was so upset that it wasn't her that I didn't register what the voice said. Then I did. "Guardian Belikov, we have a problem." I realized the voice belonged to Stan.

"Is it Rose?" Lissa mouthed to me. I shook my head sadly.

"Guardian Alto, what seems to be the problem?" I asked. I really didn't need to worry about something else right now. I saw Lissa make a face. She liked Stan about as much as Rose did.

"As you know, we had two novices stay this summer to complete a supplementary field experience requirement," he said into the phone.

I was quite aware of this. Eddie Castile and Mason Ashford were the two novices that stayed. Every year , two junior, about to be senior, novices are chosen to be candidates for the field experience. This year, they were guarding two teenage moroi whenever they left their houses. If I recalled correctly, the moroi were Jill and Maria, or something like that. Rose had been ecstatic when Eddie and Mason got it. She had been hoping they would.

I didn't say anything, instead I choose to wait for Stan to continue. "Mr. Ashford and Mr. Castile were at a mall with Ms. Mia Rinaldi and Jill Mastrano," he told me. Mia, I sighed. I was close with Maria. "They were captured, and Guardian Ellington, who was monitoring their field experience was wounded badly. He just managed to call us and alert us to the situation."

I felt my heart contract. I knew this was bad. While Guardian Ellington wasn't one of our best guardians, he was good enough that he and two skilled novices should have been able to protect the moroi from any threats. I knew what this had to mean. Lissa looked at me concerned . She opened her mouth like she was about to ask me something, but I shook my head at her, effectively keeping her silent. "According to Guardian Ellington, there were three strigoi that ambushed them. He killed one, but the other two escaped with the two moroi and the two novices ," Stan explained. "It happened too quickly."

I let out the breath I was holding. Then a thought occured to me. "Which mall sir?" I asked in a quiet voice. Lissa looked at me confused. I could practically hear the questions forming in her head.

"The Cresthill mall," Stan told me in a bored voice.

I felt my heart drop to my stomach. The Cresthill mall was only a few miles from our apartment. Rose could easily have ran there and gotten caught. Despite my assurances to Lissa before, I was suddenly certain that this was the case. I just knew that Rose had to be with them. I was already plotting. There was no way I was letting Rose go. There was only one problem. Protocol dictates we do not go looking for dhampirs that are captured by Strigoi. They are considered lost causes. I only hoped that for once, Stan would be a decent person and overlook that rule. "What can I do?" I asked, trying to keep the panic out of my voice.

"If it was just Mr. Ashford and Castile that were kidnapped, we wouldn't do anything, but since there are moroi involved, we have to ensure their safety," he told me. I breathed a sigh of relief. I was going to be able to find them.

"Where should I meet you?" I asked him, all of my fear was instantly replaced by determination. I was going to find her. And when I did, I was never going to let go of her.

"Meet me outside the Cresthill mall in one hour. We are setting up search parties there," he told me. "The attack happened right after the sun had set and we had guardians secure the perimeters immediately. The strigoi must be hiding somewhere in the city."

I nodded, then realized he couldn't see me. "I'll be there," I promised. Then I hung up.

"Dimitri, what's going on?" Lissa asked me nervously. I briefly contemplated lying to her, but I decided against it. Rose was her best friend. She deserved to hear the truth.

When I had finished telling Lissa what I found out, she looked like she was being overwhelmed with fear. "If they find her, they'll find out she's a girl," she whispered. "That will ruin everything."

I sighed. I hadn't thought of that. "I'd rather her be alive," I whispered. If possible, Lissa's eyes got wider. I don't think she realized how serious a strigoi attack could be. She didn't think death was an option.

"You have to find her Dimitri," Lissa told me panicked. "You have to find her."

I looked at how frail and broken Lissa looked and I felt my heart break for her. "I will Liss, I will," I promised. Then I grabbed my keys and headed out. I was going to save the woman I loved.


	21. Chapter 21

Rose's Point of View

I don't know how long I was out for, but when I woke up, nothing made sense. It was pitch black around me, making it difficult for me to make out my surroundings. I blinked a few times as my eyes adjusted. I could barely make out the outline of the room. I saw two shadows in the corner of the prison and I couldn't help the gasp that escaped me. I wasn't alone.

"Oh, so he's awake," an all too familiar voice said.

"Yeah. I was really worried that they killed him. I couldn't even hear him breath when we were in the van," another way too familiar voice said .

Their voices sounded odd and it took me a while to figure out why. When I talked to them at school, their voices were filled with humor. Now, their voices were grim. Grim and scared.

I closed my eyes praying it was a dream. No luck. "Mase? Eddie?" I asked, fear causing my voice to waver and become lower . I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to mentally prepare myself for what was to come. I thanked the God I wasn't sure I believed in, that it was too dark for them to see my figure.

"Robert?" Mason asked sounding horrified.

"How did you get roped into this?" Eddie asked shocked.

"I don't know," I sighed . "I was just going on a run and I got attacked." Then something he said dawned on me. "Did you say we were in a van?"

"Yes," Eddie answered. "I think we're still within the city boundaries though. We were only in the car for a couple of minutes ."

I let out a sigh of relief. We still had a chance . We could still get out of this.

"How long was I out for?" I asked curiously. My head was throbbing.

"A couple of hours," Mason told me. "They must have hit you pretty hard."

"Soooo," I said after a moment of silence. "What's the plan?"

"Don't die?" Mason asked jokingly.

I had to suppress my eye roll. "Gee, thanks Captain Obvious," I told him sarcastically.

"You're welcome Sergeant Sarcasm," Mason retorted.

"No but seriously," I said, my voice now free from humor.

"Why don't you tell us?" Eddie asked. "We're chained to the wall ."

I stared in his direction confused. "I'm not," I told him surprised. "I'm just tied to my chair." I could easily undo my knots.

"Can you break the rope?" Mason asked hopefully.

"I can't break it," I told him. "But it should only take a couple of minutes to undo the knot."

"Why didn't you do that already?" Mason asked me incredulously .

"Because I wanted to see if you two geniuses had a plan first," I retorted, slightly insulted.

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to insult you," Mason said immediately.

I instantly felt bad. I was about to apologize when the door opened.

Two strioig entered, pulling something that forced any rational thought from my mind. Ther entrance caused a ray of light to enter the room. Just enough light to illuminate who they were holding. They were holding two moroi girls who looked to be about twelve or thirteen. One girl had strawberry blonde hair and doll-like features. The other girl was very tall and had curly brown hair that stuck out everywhere. This was not good. Now there were moroi involved.

The strigoi crossed the room and tied the girl to an empty seat. She was tied up like me, not chained to the wall like Eddie and Mason . "What the hell are you doing?" I asked the strigoi, trying to sound braver than I felt.

They turned to face me and the difference between them was drastic. The female Strigoi had to be several decades younger than the male strigoi. I recognized the male strigoi. He was the one who had attacked me.

The male strigoi chuckled. "Dear, dear, a wild one we have here," he told me. I glared at him. "If you must know, I thought we could make this a fun, little game. But we don't quite have all the pieces."

"Pieces?" I asked confused.

"I think another moroi will be the perfect thing, don't you?" He asked, his voice cold and evil.

I didn't know what his game was, but I knew it wasn't going to be good. "Go to hell," I spat at him.

"Isaiah, just let me kill her," the female strigoi begged. I held my breath when she called me a her, praying that Mason and Eddie didn't notice.

"Elena, be patient," Isaiah warned. "I may have use for her yet."

With that the strigoi left the room. Thankfully, Eddie and Mason were too preoccupied to notice that the strigoi had called me a girl.

The room was silent, all of us consumed by our own thoughts. I tried to check in on Lissa, but I had never intentionally forced myself into her head before. Usually it just happened.

I closed my eyes and concentrated. I tried to feel the bond. After a couple of tries, I almost gave up. Maybe I can't enter her head unless she's in danger.

I took a deep breath, ready to try one last time. I closed my eyes and opened my mind, willing every cell in my body to find Lissa. It worked. I was in her head.

"Where'd Belikov go?" Christian asked me… I mean Lissa.

"He went to find Rose," Lissa whispered to him. I could hear the confusion swirling around in her head. She didn't know why I left in the first place.

"Where's Rose?" Christian asked confused.

"Rose got really angry and she left," Lissa told him. The tears were starting to stream out of her eyes. I wanted nothing more than to be there to comfort her right now. "He thinks she got abducted by strigoi ." I could see it as she processed what Dimitri had told her. I almost groaned. Dimitri really could have left out the part about how death was a possibility. He scared Lissa more than she needed to be.

To my surprise Christian fell to his knees where he was previously standing. "This is all my fault," he said sadly.

"You're fault?" Lissa asked confused.

"I'm the reason she was so mad," Christian whispered. "I never told her about my parents and Aunt Tasha, because I was afraid that she would hate me for it. When she asked me about it, I was an idiot. I didn't want to admit I did something wrong. It's all my fault ."

"It's not your fault Christian. Dimitri told me that he said something stupid," Lissa told him immediately. She took a step towards him. In that instance, he got to his feet and took a step back.

"It is, and I'm going to fix this," he said determinedly .

He began to pull on his shoes.

"Where are you going?" Lissa asked, anxiously.

"I'm going to find Belikov. Then me and Belikov are going to find Rose. I think we owe her an apology," Christian told her.

I watched Christian walk out the door. I forced myself out of Lissa's head. "Shit," I said when I got back to my own head. This was not good.


	22. Chapter 22

Dimitri's Point of View

We were searching everywhere. We had blocked off all possible exits out of the city, so we knew they had to be within the boundaries of the city. The only question is where. We were running out of time. The sun would be setting soon and then the strigoi could move. We could already be too late.

Rose could already be dead. I couldn't think of the alternative. I would rather find her dead than not find her. Because if I don't find her, then she could have been turned. And I can't even think about that right now.

I was ready to give up hope though. We had scoured every inch of this city. How could we have missed them? I thought back to route I had taken. I wanted to make sure I hadn't missed anything.

I snapped out of my reverie when I heard a rustling from the trees a couple of yards away from me. I could see a shadowed figure watching from the trees. They didn't see me yet and I quietly crept up on them. I pulled my knife out of my pocket. It was still light out, so I knew the person in the shadows wasn't a strigoi. But they were a threat. No one should be studying the guardians like that. They were trying to figure out what steps we were taking. I briefly wondered if the strigoi had humans working for them. It's happened in the past.

I snuck up behind them. Just as I was about to lunge at them, they turned around. My jaw dropped.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, slightly annoyed.

Christian looked right back at me, a look of determination on his face. "I'm going to help you find Rose," he told me.

I shook my head at him. "It's too dangerous," I told him. And it was. This was no place for a novice.

He looked back at me stubbornly. "I'm not going anywhere," he warned me.

I groaned. I can't physically make him leave. Which left only one action. I pulled out my walkie talkie. "This is Guardian Belikov, paging Guardian Alto," I said.

After a moment, I got a response. "Did you find them?" Stan asked.

"Negative," I said with a sigh. Oh how I wished I could have said yes. "Novice Christian Ozera is here with me. I found him sneaking around in the forest. Requesting permission to escort him back to his residence."

"Escort him back. You can fill out the paperwork after we find Ashford and Castile," Stan said back to me.

I fastened my walkie talkie to my belt and turned to Christian. "Let's go," I told him. I started to walk away.

"No way," he said. He stood where he was and crossed his arms over his chest. "It's my fault that Rose left. I am going to help find her."

I looked up at him confused. He thought it was your fault. "It's not your fault," I told him. "That's not why she left."

"Oh?" He asked. I could tell he didn't believe me. "Then why did she leave?"

"I said something stupid," I whispered to him. it was all my fault. If she died, I would never forgive myself.

"You?" He asked shocked. "What could you possibly have said to make Rose run away?"

I blushed slightly. That was not something I wanted to go into detail about. "Just something stupid," I said with a shrug. "Now we are going back to our apartment. Are you going to come willingly or do I have to drag you?"

Christian looked at me like he was considering my offer. "How about this? I go back with you and you tell me what you said to Rose," he told me.

I internally groaned. I was not going to talk about my sex life with my student. Then again, he is also my roommate. And I am in a relationship with one of my students. Go figure. I can have sex with my student, but I can't discuss my feelings with another one.

I sighed. I would really rather have Christian come willingly. It would look suspicious if I had to carry him back. Plus Christian is taller and bulkier than Rose. He would be more inconvenient to hold.

I can't believe I was doing this. "Fine," I said grumpily. "But not until we get to the car."

Christian nodded and we followed the short path to where my car was parked.

When we got to the car, Christian willingly got into the passenger side. Once I was in the car, he looked at me expectantly. "So what did you say to Rose?" He asked curiously.

I turned the key and started backing out. The sun was almost completely gone. This was not good. "ItoldherIthoughtsheonlywantedtosleepwithmebecause shewasupset," I said in a rush. There I said it.

Christian looked up at me. "I have no idea what you just said," he told me.

I sighed. "After she 'talked' to you, I was comforting her. Once she started to feel better…" I hesitated. I could feel the blush creeping across my cheeks. "I told her that I thought she was only trying to sleep with me because she was upset." I pointedly did not look at Christian.

I couldn't see him, but that didn't mean I couldn't hear him. There was a moment of silence then Christian started laughing. It took him awhile to calm down and when he did, I shot him a nasty look. I did not appreciate his laughter.

"I'm sorry man," he said taking deep breaths to calm himself down. "But why in the world would you think that?"

Wishing that the road would open up and swallow me whole, I reluctantly answered. "Because she sounded so desperate," I told him. I was staring at the road in front of me. As awkward conversations go, this was one of the worst.

To my surprise Christian didn't laugh this time. I shot a quick look towards him. I could barely see his face, because of the shadows. It was dark now. I could just make out the thoughtful look on his face. "You really don't realize it do you?" He asked quietly after a moment.

"Realize what?" I asked him confused.

"Just how much Rose loves you," he told me.

"Of course I know she loves me," I told him. And I knew that with absolute certainty.

Christian shook his head at me. "That's not what I meant. Anyone with eyes can see that she loves you. But you don't realize how much," he told me.

I looked over a Christian. He looked tired. I was totally lost. What was he talking about? "What are you talking about?" I asked him.

Christian looked up at me, anger replacing the tired look in his expression. "If you have to ask, then you aren't good enough for her," he told me angrily.

I just stared at him shocked.


	23. Chapter 23

Rose's Point of View

I didn't have long to worry about what Christian would do when the door was opening. I was surprised. I couldn't have been in Lissa's head more than an hour or so. I hadn't expected them to come back so quickly.

The strigoi hadn't returned empty handed. There were two humans with them. One of the humans was short and a little chubby. His black hair was receding, giving him a very large forehead. He looked to be in his thirties or early forties. The other human was young. Very young. He looked like he was my age, maybe a year or two older. He had blonde hair. I couldn't see their faces, because they were shadowed by the light behind them.

I internally groaned. How many people would I have to include in our rescue. Now there were defenseless humans involved. I looked at them sympathetically. They must be scared out of their minds.

I was very surprised when the humans were binded in any way. I was surprised. Even if they were human, the strigoi must still regard them as a threat. If that wasn't the case, why capture them in the first place?

"I would like you to meet my friends," Isaiah said cruelly.

I felt the blood drain from my body. Humans working with strigoi. I couldn't believe it. This changed everything.

"Why would you work with monsters like that?" I asked the humans angrily. I couldn't fathom why anyone would willingly work with strigoi. They were cold-blooded murderers.

"Immortality," the younger human said with a grin.

I stared. "But you're going to spend the rest of your lives killing people," I said shocked.

"Immortality has a price," the human said with a shrug. My jaw dropped. How can he be okay with that?

I shook my head. I needed to concentrate on the problem at hand and not on the extremely messed up morals of these humans. "You won't get away with this," I warned.

"What are you going to do about it?" Elena asked me tauntingly. "You're just a defenseless, little girl."

I ignored the fear that rose up in me. Well, there goes that secret. I couldn't think about that right now. "The guardians will find us. And when they do, you'll regret this," I warned.

"Empty threats," Elena said with a shrug.

"You really want to believe that, don't you?" I asked quietly, trying to sound as confident as possible. "You really want to believe that you'll get away with this. You want to think that you truly are immortal. Well, guess what? Even immortality has its limits. The guardians will find us. And they will kill you."

Isaiah rolled his eyes, but otherwise ignored my comment. He turned to the moroi. "Are you thirsty?" He asked them. I could see their thirst, darkening their eyes. My guess would be that they hadn't fed before they were attacked. If they were at the mall, they were probably going to get food there. For the first time, I realized how much more difficult an escape attempt would be with weakened moroi. But there was nothing I could do about that. "Is your thirst burning your throat, making you slowly mad with need?" He walked towards where Eddie and Mason were sitting. He looked at Eddie. "You will not resist." His voice had a strange, silky tone to it. I realized he was using compulsion. The next second, compulsion was the furthest thing from my mind. Isaiah bent down and bit into Eddie's neck. It lasted only a couple of seconds, death wasn't his goal. When he stood up, a sappy look crossed Eddie's face.

My heart thudded in my chest. I knew what Eddie was going through, understood far too well. I can still remember what the endorphins from Lissa's venom did to me.

I stared at Eddie, ignoring the Strigoi's departure. I didn't stop staring at the red mark on Eddie's neck until Mason spoke, pulling me back to reality.

"Robert… You're a girl?" Mason asked shocked.

"Robert? What kind of girl name is that?" The blonde girl asked. She sounded like she was fighting laughter.

Maybe it was the bluntness of the question, or maybe it was the insulting tone in her voice, but I immediately reacted defensively. "My name is Rose," I said angrily. "Who let you out of daycare anyway?"

"Daycare?" She asked me angrily. "I am fifteen years old."

I stared at her shocked. She had to be joking. I would have guessed twelve, maybe thirteen. But that was a stretch. "You're joking, right?" I asked uncertainly. There was no way she was fifteen.

"No," she said sharply.

"Back to the issue at hand," Mason interjected. "How are you a girl?"

"Why is it so hard to believe she's a girl?" The moroi asked. "Aside from having the worst name ever, she sounds pretty feminine to me."

"Stay out of this barbie," I warned her.

"My name is Mia," she bit back.

Ignoring her, I looked towards Mason. My eyes had adjusted enough to take in his outline. "I don't want my life to be planned out for me. I don't see why something as silly as my being a girl should prevent me from being a guardian," I explained quietly.

"Wait. You are trying to become a guardian?" Mia asked.

I didn't like the way she said you, but I did my best to ignore it. "How would you feel if you had your whole life planned for you? If you were told you have to marry this moroi and have babies? That that is your duty? That's all you were born for. You were born to create more dhampirs. well, I didn't like that," I said, trying to keep myself composed. Even when I wasn't angry, it was hard to control myself when I think about what I walked away from. "What? No comments from the peanut gallery?"

I could almost feel the daggers Mia was glaring at me.

"I can't believe you're a girl," Mason muttered quietly. His voice dropped much lower. I thought I heard him say, "I thought I was gay." But I shook my head. My life just couldn't be that complicated.

We were silent for a long, long time. I don't know how much time passed, but it had to be hours. Suddenly, I was pulled from our prison by an onslaught of emotion. I couldn't make sense of anything. The only thing I knew was that something was wrong with Lissa.


	24. Chapter 24

Dimitri's Point of View

I pulled over to the side of the road and stared at Christian. It took me at least twenty minutes to compose myself enough to form a coherent thought. "I'm not good enough for her?" I asked him uncertainly.

Christian looked at me, his expression filled with disbelief. "Man, you really don't see it, do you?" Christian asked me.

I shook my head. I was totally lost. "Do you realize what Rose risks by being with you?" Christian asks me quietly. I shook my head, looking at him intently. "Just look at when you were in Russia. Aunt Tasha told me what happened. Rose almost died, just so you could still be with your family. She is entirely willing to sacrifice her own happiness to make you happy."

I opened my mouth to protest, to tell him that that's not what I wanted. Christian held up his hand. "I know that's not the decision you wanted her to make, but ask yourself. If your positions were reversed. If you were standing in between Rose and her mother. Would you be selfless enough to leave so Rose wouldn't have to choose?" He asked me.

I frowned slightly. It was easy for me to say that in my position, I wanted to choose Rose, but if the situations were reversed? I don't think I would be able to stay away from her. I love her so much, but do I not love her enough to let her choose her family? I didn't know the answer to that question.

I think Christian saw the doubt in my face. "And when you first found out she was a girl? You walked away without giving a second thought to why Rose might have been keeping her gender a secret, without trying to figure out why Rose was living a lie," he told me. I could see that this was something that had been bothering him for a long time. "Rose came back to our dorm and cried. She was going to let you go, because she thought that that's what you wanted. She was absolutely miserable."

"But she came to me," I told him quietly. Surely that meant she wanted to fight for us. Surely that meant she was just as selfish as me. Right?

"Because I told her to!" Christian said annoyed. "She thought you hated her for lying! She really thought that you didn't want to have anything to do with her!"

"She thought I hated her?" I asked him shocked.

"For hours, she was crying in our room alone. I wish you could have seen her. Rose doesn't cry easily, you know that," he told me.

"How could she think I hated her?" I asked flabbergasted. Sure, I was upset, but I could never hate her.

"What else was she supposed to think? You found out she's a girl, didn't say anything and just walked away," he told me bitterly.

I groaned pressing my forehead to the steering wheel. "What does this have to do with sex?" I asked him sharply.

I hated to get angry with him, because he really was just trying to help me, but I couldn't handle listening to this anymore.

"Dude, Rose would never just want to have sex with you because she's upset," Christian said frustrated. "I mean sure, sex makes her feel great, but that's not why she has it with you."

I looked at him suspiciously. "How do you know this?" I asked him.

Christian turned red. "I accidentally overheard a conversation between Rose and Lissa," he told me, looking quite embarrassed. "I didn't mean to, but they were talking in our bedroom before you guys went to Russia."

I knew it was wrong, but I was dying to know. "What did they say?" I asked him. I was going to hell for this.

Christian bit his lip. "Lissa was teasing Rose," he finally said after a long pause. "She said something about how you and Rose are always 'doing it'." Christian rolled his eyes. "Rose said something along the lines that Lissa made 'it' sound like a dirty thing."

I couldn't help my chuckle. That is just something Rose would absolutely say.

"Well, Lissa said something along the lines of its not like it's fun," Christian told me. I held my breath, waiting for him to tell me that Rose agreed with her. "I don't think I've ever heard Rose argue with Lissa before. But man, she vehemently denied that. She said… I'm going to hell for this, but she said that sex with you was the best experience in the world. She said she never feels as complete as she does when she's with you."

I could feel the blush creeping up my cheeks. "She said that?" I asked him. I know I overheard her conversation with Lissa after the first time we slept together, but this was different. She was talking about sex in general. Now I could see it through Rose's eyes. She did want to have sex with me out of desperation, but not the kind of desperation that I accused her of. I know exactly what she meant. Every second I was away from her, I craved her touch, her presence, her love. I needed it like I needed air.

Christian nodded at me. "When Lissa and I first had sex, that's not exactly what it felt like. I love Lissa with all my heart and being with her felt right, but it's not like what Rose said. Rose loves you in a completely different way," he told me. He looked at me curiously. "I know you love her, but I don't think you understand how much she loves you. She risks being discovered just to spend time with you. And do you want to know the funniest part? She thinks that she's a burden on you. She constantly worries about you. She worries that you're going to get fired for being with her. She worries that you're going to grow to resent her for creating problems in your family. She worries that people are going to judge you for loving her. I've never seen someone worry so much. Even I don't worry that much, and I'm in a relationship with the last Dragomir. Lissa loving me could mean the end of her line. I worry about it, but not like Rose."

I considered his words carefully. As I sat there thinking, I realized with absolute certainty that Christian was right. I don't deserve Rose. I'll never deserve her, but I'll spend my lifetime trying.

I took a deep breath and then put the car in drive and started to finish the drive back to our apartment. The first thing I was going to do when I had Rose back in my arms, was hold her close and never let her go.

We pulled up to our apartment and got out. Christian had been kind enough to leave me to my own thoughts, but I froze when I took in the sight of our apartment. The door was open a little bit as if someone had been here. I glanced at Christian, realizing for the first time that he had left Tasha and Lissa home by themselves. I sprinted to the entrance. I was met with broken everything.

This left no doubt in my mind. Someone had been here.


	25. Chapter 25

Rose's Point of View

Instinctively, I pulled up my barriers, trying to force myself from Lissa's head. I was almost successful. I forced myself from Lissa's head, but I wasn't quite back in my own body. I could still feel the emotions consuming Lissa.

I was blinded by the emotions going through Lissa's head. Something was wrong, but I couldn't tell what it was. She wasn't thinking straight.

Come on Lissa, calm down, I thought desperately. After a couple of minutes, I was finally able to make sense of things. I pushed myself back through to her head so I could see clearly.

I saw her and Tasha in a coat closet in our apartment. I was confused. I wish Lissa would think about how she got there. "Tasha, what's going on?" Lissa asked.

Lissa looked up at Tasha respectfully. She was comforted by her presence. I was so grateful for Tasha right then. She couldn't help Lissa the way I could, but she could still help her.

"Shhh," Tasha told her. "Someone's in the apartment."

Lissa took a deep breath. "Are you sure?" She asked nervously.

Tasha nodded. "I heard them. They were standing in front of the door. 'Are you sure she's here?' They asked," Tasha told her quietly. "I… I think they were strigoi. And I think they were looking for you."

"You don't think it's the strigoi that took Rose do you?" Lissa asked anxiously.

Tasha shrugged. "I don't even know if they are strigoi," she told her. "I only heard their voices."

There was a moment of silence. "Why would they be after me?" Lissa asked confused.

"You're the last Dragomir," Tasha explained. "Strigoi all over the world are probably trying to hunt you down to end your line."

I winced as terror overwhelmed Lissa. When I get out of here, I was going to have to make sure that I had a talk with everyone to set some boundaries of what is acceptable to tell Lissa. Not that I like keeping secrets from her, but there were some things she didn't need to know. Like that strigoi might be after her. That was information that is just going to peak Lissa's fear, which is not something I wanted. I know that strigoi want her, but you can bet that I will make sure that she stays safe.

"Okay, so I understand why they want me, but why Rose?" Lissa asked anxiously.

Tasha shrugged. She didn't look like she cared very much. I was puzzled by her expression. "She's a dhampir. Strigoi always try to kill dhampirs. They want there to be less guardians," she said, her tone almost bored.

Lissa was very good at reading people, which is probably a good thing. I would never have noticed what she had picked up on. "You don't like Rose very much, do you?" Lissa asked quietly.

Tasha looked at Lissa, composing her face into a blank mask. "I like her. She's a nice girl," Tasha said. Even I could hear the lie in her voice. I was so confused. Why would she pretend to be nice to me if she didn't like me?

Lissa looked like she was about to question Tasha more when they heard footsteps outside the closet. "Stay here. Keep quiet," Tasha whispered.

Tasha stepped out of the closet.

"Ah," Isaiah's voice said. Lissa couldn't see the strigoi, but I would recognize Isaiah's voice anywhere. "Lucas's sister. We've been looking for you."

I breathed a small sigh of relief. They were going to take Tasha, not Lissa. Don't get me wrong. I'm not happy their endangering a moroi, but just in case we don't make it out of here, I'm glad that Lissa's life is not on the line.

"Go to hell!" Tasha yelled, hate coloring her tone.

Isaiah tisked at her. "Is that anyway to treat an old family friend?" Isaiah asked her.

"You are no friend of mine," Tasha said boldly.

I don't know exactly what happened next, but I heard the sounds of a fight and something breaking. It lasted maybe five minutes and then there was silence.

Lissa was practically hyperventilating in the closet. She closed her eyes and sat down crying. She just wanted me and Christian to be there to comfort her and tell her what to do. She was too scared to leave the safety of the closet.

I stayed in her head. I knew she couldn't tell I was here, but at least she wasn't alone. About twenty minutes later, I was pulled back to my own body by the sound of a door slamming shut.

I looked up and saw Tasha being pulled in by a human. I guess the strigoi wanted the humans to do the dirty work for them. I took this opportunity to quickly untie my ropes. I doubted that it would be difficult to overpower the human. Then I would be able to take the key to the chains that bind Mason and Eddie and we could leave.

I jumped out of my seat, tackling the human that stayed by the door, before he could fully close the door. Before I had the chance to incapacitate him, I heard the other human speak.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he warned.

I turned slightly to see what he was doing and my blood went cold. He was holding a gun to Tasha's head. This complicated things. I couldn't risk the life of a moroi. They come first.

Reluctantly, I put my hands up and backed away from the human I had been holding. My eyes never left the gun pressed to Tasha's temple.

The human I had tackled regained his footing and chained me to the wall. Shit. I was not going to be able to break out of these.

I sighed in defeat and slumped in my seat.

I was trying to figure out a new plan for escape. A couple of hours must have passed while I was lost in thought.

My internal rambling was cut off by the door opening. I looked up to see Elena and Isaiah entering the room. I internally groaned. I don't know what news they bore now, but I knew I would have to find a way out of here. Somehow, I would have to be strong enough.


	26. Chapter 26

Dimitri's Point of View

I couldn't hear Christian, but I knew he was right behind me. He probably figured out that something was wrong the second I ran towards our apartment.

I carefully pulled out my stake. I glanced behind me and saw Christian with a stake of his own. I shot him a confused look. Where did he get a stake from?

Later, he mouthed.

I nodded then cautiously walked through the hallway with Christian quietly following me.

We checked every room in our apartment very carefully. It wasn't until we were back in our lobby area that I heard a whimpering coming from the closet by the door.

I carefully opened the door, ready for anything. What I wasn't ready for was a red-eyes Lissa curled into a ball sobbing.

I looked back at Christian. He would know what to say to Lissa. He was her boyfriend.

He looked at me puzzled then walked towards me. When he saw Lissa, he immediately let his defenses down and rushed to her side. He pulled her into his arms. "It's okay Liss," he whispered, kissing her forehead.

I stepped out of the room to give them a moment. I felt envious of Christian. I wasn't envious of his relationship with Lissa, but with his certainty. He knew that his girlfriend was safe and sound. For all I know, Rose could be dead, or worse she could be a strigoi right now.

I pushed those thoughts from my head. She was not strigoi. It wasn't possible. I would know, wouldn't I?

Or maybe this is one of those things Christian was talking about. Maybe, I don't have that connection with Rose. She always knows when I'm upset just by looking at me. But me? I only notice when it's obvious. The entire time we were in Russia, I never would have guessed that the division in my family would have been killing her, but it makes sense.

I sunk to the ground as everything Christian said poured down onto me. In the car I listened to him, but I was only now hearing what he said.

He was right. I didn't deserve Rose. Every decision I've made has come back to hurt her and yet she is still with me. She still loves me unconditionally.

When I chose to walk away from her after I found out she was a girl, I was only thinking about myself. I wasn't thinking about how much pain I would be causing her. I wasn't thinking about how she would interpret my coldness. No, I was only thinking about myself and my own hurt feelings.

I think back to her determination to not come in between me and my family. Her fears were legitimate and I ignored them. I didn't want to believe that my family, or more importantly my mother wouldn't like her. So, I ignored her doubts, which lead to Rose being captured and almost killed by strigoi.

I accused her of being with me to distract herself. I thought I was being so selfless. I thought I was preventing her from making a mistake. She ended up running away and getting captured by strigoi. She could be dead or worse.

Every decision came back to me, threatening to choke me. Every decision lead her from bad to worse.

I love her so much, don't get me wrong, but now I realize I've taken advantage of that love.

With this revelation came a new-found determination. I would find Rose. And when I find her, I will act like the boyfriend she deserves.

I don't know how long I was sitting there, trapped in my own thoughts. Christian cleared his throat, breaking me out of my thoughts. I looked up at him confused.

"You okay?" He asked me concerned.

I nodded at him, unable to find my words.

Lissa was clinging to Christian's arm for dear life.

I cleared my throat, trying to find my voice. "Where's Tasha?" I asked, noticing her absence for the first time. It was probably really bad that I hadn't noticed she wasn't here, but my mind was otherwise occupied.

Christian's face fell and tears started to fall down Lissa's cheeks again.

I knew the answer, but I couldn't help myself. I had to know for sure. "Where is she?" I asked, trying to mentally prepare myself.

"They took her," Lissa whispered. "They were looking for her specifically."

Despite the grim news, I couldn't help but smile.

Christian looked at me like I was insane. "Why are you smiling?" He asked me, anger lacing his tone.

"Because if they knew she was here, then they are close to this complex. Think about it. Where is the perfect place for a strigoi to hide if they want to keep an eye on the moroi in the mall and the moroi living nearby in the communities?" I asked him. This could be an excellent part of his guardian training. I would guide him, but I wanted him to figure it out for himself.

Understanding lit up his features. "In the center of everything, just on the outskirts of town," he said breathlessly.

I nodded to him. That's why we couldn't find them when we were searching the city. Because they were outside the city, but only just.

Without a word, I sprint towards the kitchen to get my keys. I went back to Christian and Lissa. "Stay with her," I told him.

From the look he gave me I knew he wasn't happy, but I knew he was going to listen to me. He wasn't going to leave Lissa alone right now. She needed him.

I got in my car and sped off. I started with the border closest to the mall and meticulously searched for any signs of strigoi. About an hour after my search started, I was rewarded. Huddled outside a house, I was able to make out Tasha's long black hair. There were a couple of other people with her. They escaped. I knew they were safe, because the sun was shining brightly on to them.

As I got closer, I searched for the one face I so desperately wanted to see. I felt like the world was moving in slow motion. She wasn't here. Eddie and one of the moroi were, but Rose, Mason, and the other moroi were nowhere to be seen.

Tasha looked at me, sympathy lighting up her features. "I'm sorry Dimka," she said to me.

I closed my eyes and felt my world shatter around me. This couldn't be happening.


	27. Chapter 27

Rose's Point of View

I looked up at the evil smile on Isaiah's face as he explained his 'game' again now that Tasha was here. Unlike the other time he came in, he didn't stay to gloat or taunt us. He simply drank from Eddie again than left, probably to find something more substantial to eat. He is probably trying to enjoy his last few minutes of nighttime. Then, something dawned on me. He would have to find a safe place to stay all day. If as much time had passed as I think did, then Isaiah wouldn't have time to feed and get back.

The sun would probably be rising in about an hour. I know for a fact that Tasha was kidnapped around midnight in human time. So, I had an hour to come up with a plan to get past the two humans and into the safety of the sunlight.

I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate.

All I could focus on was my thirst and my hunger. I looked at the two moroi. "I don't suppose any of you specialized in water, did you?" I asked hopefully.

The moroi that hates me, Mia, looked at me. "I do," she told me. "But I can't just make water appear out of thin air."

"Useless specialization," I muttered under my breath.

"It is not useless," she said angrily.

I honestly hadn't meant for her to hear me.

"Shut up!" one of the guards said harshly.

I sighed, closing my eyes. I willed myself to look past my hunger and thirst. I willed myself to look past my discomfort. I put my whole being into thinking of a plan.

After an hour or so, I was ready to give up. The sun would be rising now. There was no way we could escape. We would need a miracle… or at least some, "Magic!" I said out loud, sitting up straighter in my chair. I immediately closed my mouth, praying the humans didn't hear me. Luck was on my side, they remained oblivious to what I had just said.

I looked at the three moroi. I didn't know what the two younger moroi specialized in, but I knew what Tasha did. Fire.

With that knowledge, I started plotting. When I had a solid plan, I tried to make eye contact with Tasha. I wanted to get out of this house with as much daytime left as possible.

She looked back at me confused. How do I tell her what I need her to do, without telling her what I need her to do?

I tugged at my wrist slightly, motioning to the flex-cuffs that binded me to my chair. Her confusion deepened. I tried to figure out what to do.

Then I smiled. "Hey!" I yelled loudly to the humans. "You have to give us something to eat or at least something to drink. My throat is burning from thirst. It's burning!"

I looked right at Tasha as I said that last part and I could practically see her connect the dots.

"I'll do it," Tasha said loudly.

"Shut up," one of the humans said in a bored voice.

"No," Tasha said back to him. "I'll do it."

I looked at her, hoping that she was on the same wave length I was.

The human looked at her skeptically. "Don't lie to us," he warned.

"I' m not," Tasha said. Her voice rang with false sincerity. "I want to understand why my brother became a strigoi and maybe I'll understand after I'm awakened."

The humans glanced at each other, then shrugged. They cut off Tasha's cuffs and then followed her towards me.

"Tasha don't," I pleaded, pretending to sound scared. She wasn't really going to drink from me… Right? This was the only way she could get close enough to do what she needs to do.

"Sorry Rose," she said to me. She leaned in towards me and pressed her teeth into my neck, being careful not to break the skin.

Then I felt the pain. It wasn't coming from the bite. It was coming from the flex-cuffs that Tasha was melting so I could escape. I struggled to make myself keep up the goofy smile that I would have if Tasha really were drinking from me.

Just as I'm sure I won't be able to endure the pain anymore, I broke through the flex-cuffs. I had to ignore the pain in my wrists right now. First we had to escape, and then I can think about the pain.

I leapt out of my seat towards the first human, slamming his head against the wall. He slumped to the ground, unconscious. He would be okay. Dimitri and I had spent a lot of time practicing the difference between killing and incapacitating.

I turned to see the other human with his gun pointed at me. Suddenly the gun glowed red and the human dropped it. I didn't need to look at Tasha to know she made the gun burn.

I pushed the human into the wall and then let him fall to the ground. I grabbed his pliers and then went to the box with all the flex-cuffs. I gave Tasha the pliers so she could release Eddie, Mason, and the other moroi.

Looking in the box, I found something truly beautiful – duct tape. I binded the humans, making sure they couldn't yell for help or escape.

Tasha finished cutting through everyone's flex-cuffs and we were on our way out. I took the lead and Mason took the rear. He was holding the gun, ready to use it if the need arises. Both of the moroi were supporting Eddie.

We carefully made our way up the stairs. I could see it. The front door.

Before we had even gone a couple of steps, I heard a cough. I looked up to see Isaiah and Elena. What were they doing here? I was certain they had gone hunting and wouldn't be back.

I looked at them and looked at the door. There was no way we could all make it.

"Run," I whispered to them. I waited until they were between me and the door and then I lunged towards Isaiah. I didn't have a hope of fighting him off, particularly without a stake, but I could create one hell of a distraction.

Sure enough, I heard the most beautiful sound in the world. The sound of a door swinging open. Sunlight poured into the room and Isaiah jerked me back with him.

He threw me across the room. "You stupid, little girl," he said angrily.

Before he had a chance to say anything else, a familiar voice interrupted him. "Don't you dare hurt her," Mason warned, his gun pointed right as Isaiah.

Isaiah chuckled .

"Mason, don't," I pleaded. He was still in the sunlight. He could still be saved, but Mason didn't listen. He fired all the bullets in his gun into Isaiah's chest.

While Isaiah did little more than wince, Mason distracted him so he could help me to my feet.

We started to sprint towards the door. We had to get there before Isaiah. I could see Tasha standing in the door. Just as we reached it, she slammed it closed.

Mason and I had not been expecting it and we ran straight into the door. Shit. Mason and I had been counting on the advantage the sunlight would give us. Now Tasha had gotten rid of that advantage, she had sent us to our deaths.

Betrayal washed over me, but I tried to ignore it. I didn't have time right now to think about what Tasha did, because right now every decision I make matters. One wrong move and me and Mason will be dead.

Mason and I turned to face Isaiah and Elena. Isaiah was looking at us gleefully. He was probably excited that he could still have his meal.

Mason and I backed up until we were pressed against the back wall. I looked around me desperately. Finally, a stroke of luck. Two swords were mounted on the wall. They were old and probably not very sharp, but they were a weapon.

I turned to Mason, trying to communicate about the swords, but he wasn't looking at me. He was looking at the strigoi, with a look of determination on his face.

Suddenly, before I knew what was happening, Mason had turned to me and kissed me. I was too shocked to respond.

"I just wanted to do that once," he told me.

Then he sprinted towards Isaiah. He had no weapon, nothing to defend himself with. He was sacrificing himself. I watched, horrified as Isaiah grabbed Mason's head and twisted. Mason fell to the floor, the life leaving his body. It was quick. He didn't do anything to deserve a slow, painful death, not like me.

I couldn't believe it. He was dead.


	28. Chapter 28

Rose's Point of View

My world moved in slow motion.

Isaiah kicked his body towards Elena. "Lunch time," he told Elena.

Elena bent down to pick up Mason.

That snapped me out of the haze I had been in. I grabbed a sword off the wall and faced them. I didn't have a chance of getting out of here, but that thought seemed to be in the very back of my mind, in a place easily ignored. All I wanted to do was make them hurt. I wanted them to feel the physical pain equivalent to the pain I felt right now over Mason's death. "Don't touch him," I said, my voice unrecognizable.

Elena ignored me. Then two things happened simultaneously, that distracted her. The door swung open and the aquarium exploded, sending bits of glass everywhere.

The water from the aquarium formed a sphere and wrapped itself around Isaiah's head. The water wouldn't kill him, but it created quite the distraction.

The smart thing to do would have been to leave while they were distracted, but I've never claimed to be a smart person. I couldn't just leave Mason.

I took advantage of Elena's distraction. I pulled back my sword and swung. It collided with her neck, making a sickening noise. She let out an ear-piercing scream as she fell to her knees, her hands going to the wound in her neck. I fought on auto-pilot, swinging again and again, only stopping when my swing met no resistance.

I looked down to see her head on the ground next to her body. She was very much dead.

Isaiah groaned, tearing my eyes away from Elena's headless body. He was still trying to swipe the water away from his face, but wasn't having any luck. That's the funny thing about water. Your hands will go right through it.

I walked over to him slowly. He killed Mason. I barely realized my hands had lifted up the sword and swung at him. The water being held over his head fell to the floor, but I didn't need him to be distracted anymore. I kept swinging and swinging and swinging. I couldn't see Isaiah through my tears. All I could think about was Mason. So full of life one minute and then dead the next.

It was all my fault.

"Rose, he's dead," a voice said to me. I looked at Isaiah's body, realizing for the first time that Isaiah was indeed dead.

I felt a hand on my arm and I immediately growled. "Rose, it's okay. It's me, Mia," the voice said again.

I wracked my head, trying to figure out if I knew a Mia. Then I was finally able to locate the voice. It was the girl that had been angry with me. Of course, she was the one to make the aquarium explode.

That meant that she saved my life. I tried to find my voice to thank her, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't do anything.

"Come on Rose," she said to me. "We have to leave."

She tugged on my arm slightly.

I picked up my sword. "No," I said harshly. I crawled over to Mason's body. "I won't leave him."

"Rose, we can't stay here," she told me. "It's not safe."

"I won't leave him," I told her. I stared at Mason's lifeless body.

I heard footsteps and then she was gone.

It can't have been more than a couple of minutes, when I heard a very different set of footsteps return. I lifted up my sword, ready to defend Mason.

"Roza," a soft voice said. It was a voice I would recognize and respond to anywhere. I felt his warm hand on my own, gently helping me release my grip on the sword.

He helped me stand up and I buried my face in his chest.

He found me! I sobbed into his chest, unable to hold myself together.

He stroked the back of my head, whispering soothing Russian words into my ear.

I don't know how long we stayed there for, but after a while, he pulled back.

"Roza, I know you've had a bit of a shock, but I have to call the guardians," he told me gently. "You have to be a boy when they get here. Are you ready for that?"

I looked at him, unable to understand what he was saying. I have to be a boy again? Then it dawned on me. Mason was dead. Of course all of the guardians would have been searching for him. He was one of the juniors doing summer field experience before his junior year.

Dimitri had to notify the guardians that he had been found.

I took a deep breath and nodded.

Dimitri led me outside. I squinted, the sun hurting my eyes. We slowly walked towards his car. He pulled out one of his giant hoodies and I put it on. It effectively hid any curve I had.

I didn't know what to do about my hair. It wasn't long, but it had grown a lot since I had left St. Vladimir's. Dimitri had a solution. He pulled my hair back, fastening it to the nape of my neck, just as he does with his hair.

He looked me over and then nodded. I was an acceptable boy.

"Rose?" I heard Tasha ask for the first time.

I turned to see her, my mind empty of emotion. "I'm so glad you're okay," she said, her voice filled with fake relief. She went to put her hand on my shoulder and I took a step back, pulling Dimitri with me.

I stared back at her blankly. I knew what she did and I wasn't going to let her think that she was getting away with anything. I don't know why she did what she did; I just know that because of her, I was almost killed. I know that because of her, Mason was dead.

So, I ignored what she said. I could sense Dimitri looking at me confused. I still hadn't figured out whether I should tell Dimitri. That was something I was going to have to think about after I can think straight again.

I saw someone else join us, and it took me a second to realize who it was. It was Mia.

She was glaring at Tasha. "You stay away from her," Mia warned in a harsh voice.

I looked at Mia gratefully.

"What is going on?" Dimitri asked confused.

"She told us that they were dead. Mason and Rose," Mia said, her eyes never leaving Tasha.

"Mason is dead," Dimitri said in a quiet voice.

"But he wasn't," Mia said. "I went back to the house when she said that. I looked in the window. I watched Mason die. She told us there was no point in going back. If I weren't such a bad listener, Rose would be dead. Because of her."

"You saved me," I said, for the first time. Mia looked at me briefly.

"After you saved us," she admitted. "I'm sorry for what I said to you in the basement. Even after everything I said to you, you still put my life over yours. You still made sure that me and Jill made it out safely over you."

I shrugged. "I wasn't all that nice to you in the basement either," I told her. "You didn't need to make that aquarium explode."

She shrugged. "Well, water is a pretty useless element," she told me.

I shook my head. "I was wrong to say that," I told her honestly.

She smiled at me slightly. Just then, something changed between us. We put our little feud in the basement aside.

"Thank you," Dimitri said to her. I looked up at him to see the gratitude on his face. "You have no idea how much it means to me that you saved her." He kissed my forehead.

Mia looked at me confused. "You have a boyfriend?" She asked me, surprised.

I guess I could understand that she didn't realize that my arms were wrapped around Dimitri. She was distracted by Tasha.

I nodded at her. Then something she said before came back to me. She watched Mason get killed. Does that mean she saw Mason? "Did you see him?" I asked her.

She knew what I was asking her. She looked at me hesitantly and then nodded.

I closed my eyes, leaning into Dimitri. He was the only thing holding me together right now.

I knew at some point I was going to have to explain to Mia the chaos that is my life and I know that I was going to have to tell Dimitri that Mason kissed me, but for now, I couldn't deal with that.

Distractions arrived as the first of the guardians arrived. They jumped out of their cars and consulted with Dimitri.

For now, I had to pull myself together and pretend to be a boy. So I pushed all of the emotion out of my body and prepared myself. I knew the questions were surely coming. What happened? How did I kill the strigoi? How did we escape? How did Mason die?

I just hoped I was strong enough.


	29. Chapter 29

Dimitri's Point of View

I don't know how long I kneeled there for. Every memory I ever had of Rose was coming back to me. Her laugh, her smile, the look of concentration on her face every time she spars with me. I remember the way she bites her tongue when she's trying to figure out the answer to a question I've asked her so she won't disappoint me.

"Who's he?" I heard a new voice ask.

It wasn't Rose's voice, I knew that for sure.

"Guardian Belikov," I heard Tasha say.

Then I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Please, you've got to help her. There's a dhampir in there. I couldn't make her leave. She insisted on staying with Mason," the new voice said to me.

That snapped me out of my haze. "Did… did you say she?" I asked, not daring to let myself hope that she was still alive.

It wasn't possible. Tasha had implied that she was dead, but maybe, just maybe Rose was still alive.

The moroi looked at me and nodded. "Please help her," she said to me desperately.

I didn't need any further prodding. I ran from the moroi and Eddie towards the house. I don't care if I was running straight into a room filled with strigoi. I was going to get Rose out of this.

I didn't hear anyone follow me. Good. The moroi should stay in the safety of the sun.

I walked in the open door of the house and was shocked by what I saw. Blood, blood everywhere.

I realized with a start that the blood was coming from the two headless strigoi.

As I finally looked past the blood, I saw Rose. She looked dead, her face completely void of emotion.

I walked closer to her slowly. I don't think she realized I was here yet.

She lifted up the sword in her hand when she heard my footsteps. So it was her that killed the strigoi. I would have to think about that later.

"Roza," I said softly. I saw her face contort with pain. I put my hand over hers, gently moving her fingers until she released her grip on the sword. Then I helped her to her feet. The second she was on her feet, she tightly wrapped her arms around me and started to sob into my chest.

This was real. She was here. She was alive. I gently stroked the back of her head, marveling in the softness of her hair.

"Это нормально Роза. Теперь я здесь. Все будет хорошо. Я не позволю ничего тебе больно," I whispered to her over and over again. (It's okay Roza. I'm here now. Everything will be okay. I won't let anything hurt you.)

After we had been standing there almost an hour, I pulled back. I wished I could take her back to our apartment and help her get through this. I wished something called reality didn't exist and that Rose wouldn't have to pretend she was okay for a couple of hours. I wished we could escape reality, but in our field, that's not an option.

I had to call the guardians.

"Roza, I know you've had a bit of a shock, but I have to call the guardians," I told her carefully. A bit of a shock? Yeah right. I don't know how she's still standing. "You have to be a boy when they get here. Are you ready for that?"

I looked at her carefully. I wished there was another way. But that's not a possibility. The guardians will want answers and only Rose can give them that.

I wanted more than anything to protect her, but I've already failed. I don't know if she'll ever be back to normal. I can only hope she will.

Rose took a deep breath and nodded at me. I pulled out my phone and called the guardians.

I supported her as we walked outside. When we got to my car, I handed her one of my hoodies. They fit her like a dress and hides everything that needs to be hidden.

She put it on and didn't complain about it, despite the summer heat. I don't think she even noticed the heat.

I watched her hand go to her hair, twirling a strand. I pulled the hair tie out of my own hair and fastened her hair to the nape of her neck. Her hair wasn't much longer than mine and pulled back as it was, she passed as a boy.

Tasha walked up behind Rose.

"Rose?" She asked. "I'm so glad you're okay." She started to put her hand on Rose's shoulder.

Rose took a step back, bringing me with her. She didn't say anything, just stared at Tasha with the same blank look she's had since I found her.

I was so confused. What could have brought on Rose's strange behavior? Could this be because of Mason? It didn't make sense. Why would Rose act like this?

I was surprised when one of the moroi joined us. "You stay away from her," the moroi said.

My confusion deepened.

"What is going on?" I asked.

"She told us that they were dead. Mason and Rose," the girl said, never looking away from Rose.

"Mason is dead," I told her in a quiet voice. Surely Tasha was just mistaken. It would have been easy to mistake Rose for dead.

"But he wasn't," the girl said. She was starting to cry. "I went back to the house when she said that. I looked in the window. I watched Mason die. She told us there was no point in going back. If I weren't such a bad listener, Rose would be dead. Because of her."

"You saved me," Rose said, speaking for the first time.

"After you saved us," the girl admitted. "I'm sorry for what I said to you in the basement. Even after everything I said to you, you still put my life over yours. You still made sure that me and Jill made it out safely over you." My pride in Rose grew. She had obviously had an argument with this girl, but she put her own feelings aside. She had shown the judgement of a true guardian.

Rose shrugged. "I wasn't all that nice to you in the basement either," she told her. "You didn't need to make that aquarium explode."

The girl shrugged. "Well, water is a pretty useless element," she told Rose with a grin.

Rose shook her head. "I was wrong to say that," she told her honestly.

She smiled at Rose slightly.

"Thank you," I said to the girl. I owed her more than she could possibly understand. She saved the woman I loved. "You have no idea how much it means to me that you saved her." I kissed Rose's forehead.

Mia looked at us confused. "You have a boyfriend?" She asked Rose.

Rose nodded at her. "Did you see him?" Rose asked the girl.

The girl nodded.

I was dying to know what they were talking about, but my questions were going to have to wait.

I wanted to give Rose time to heal before I demanded answers.

As the first guardian pulled up, I realized that Rose would not get the same luxury from them. No matter what happens, I would protect her.


	30. Chapter 30

Rose's Point of View

The guardian's questions passed in a blur. I answered on auto-pilot. I had to. I couldn't think about the questions, or more importantly, think about the answers. I definitely wouldn't make it through questioning if I let myself think about the questions they were asking me.

Even my molnija ceremony passed quickly. I barely felt the pain from the tattoos, but I certainly felt the pain of all the tattoos symbolized. I only was able to get through it because of the man in the back of the room, standing poised and alert. Appearances are deceiving though. To most, he would appear to be the stoic guardian his reputation promises, but to me, he is so much more. I could see past his blank mask. I saw his compassion and his strength. I could see the worry in his face.

Dimitri has been amazing. He's given me these last three days to mourn and come to terms with what happened. He hasn't once pressed me for answers. Not once has he been anything less than supportive.

But tonight, I know it is time. I'm not anywhere near over Mason's death, but I can't bear to see Dimitri in anymore pain because of my secrecy. He deserves to know what happened. I have to tell him about Tasha. That would kill me. I don't know how he would take it. Tasha and Dimitri's friendship had been strained for a long time and they were just starting to fix it. I hated to tell him about what she did, but I promised him a long time ago that I wouldn't keep secrets from him. And with how supportive he's been, I owe it to him. More importantly, I have to tell him about Mason. I know he probably won't see it this way, but I felt like I betrayed him when I let Mason kiss me. I have no romantic feelings for Mason, but the guilt is eating away at me.

So, as my molnija ceremony drew to a close and all of the guardians had acknowledged me, I tried to mentally prepare myself. They didn't congratulate me, they didn't praise me. Most of them just nodded at me or shook my hand. I dreaded the moment when it would be time to go home. As Dimitri grew nearer and nearer, I knew the time was coming.

When Dimitri shook my hand and started to lead me out of the room, the panic started to set in. He was my 'chaperone.' Since I am underage and would obviously need a ride back to my house, Dimitri arranged that he would be the guardian to bring me home. That way no suspicion would arise. Dimitri's presence in our apartment is undeniable and he didn't want to risk that another guardian would bring me inside to make sure I got in safely. A teacher-student relationship isn't really supported.

I was dreading the moment that I would have to open up to Dimitri. I was dreading the moment when he would realize how weak I was.

When we got back to our apartment, I walked in the front door, only to hear Tasha and Christian talking on the couch in the living room. I froze. They sounded so happy. How could Tasha have done this? Is it possible she didn't see us? No, she saw us. There is no doubt in my mind. But how can I possibly tell Dimitri about this? What will Tasha's betrayal do to Dimitri… or to Christian? He just got his aunt back and I'm about to take her away. I can't spare her. She doesn't deserve to be spared, but Dimitri and Christian do not deserve to be hurt.

I was barely aware of Dimitri's hands on my shoulder.

"Roza, Roza," he said over and over again. But I couldn't make myself respond. All I could think about was how crushed Dimitri would be. I couldn't bear to bring about that pain, but I also knew that if I withheld information I would be causing him pain. I had to choose between causing him pain and causing him pain. It was a lose-lose situation.

"I… I can't," I said. I couldn't choose. I didn't realize I was crying until my vision blurred.

"You can't what Rose?" Dimitri asked me.

"I can't hurt you," I whispered. "I can't do it, but no matter what I choose, you will get hurt."

"You could never hurt me," Dimitri told me, engulfing me in his embrace. He picked me up. We were going to our bedroom. "The actions of others could hurt me, but you could never hurt me."

I looked at him shocked. Did he already know about Tasha? "You know?" I asked him.

"Not really," he told me. "I need to know though. I know something bad happened, something you're not telling me about. Mia refused to tell me what happened. I know what you told the guardians, but I know that was only part of the story."

I buried my head in his chest, trying to gather the strength to do what I had to. He was right, he needed to know.

"Tasha," I whispered. "Mason and I had our chance. We were almost to the door. But Tasha closed it, the door, on us. If it weren't for her, we would have gotten out of there."

"Are… are you sure?" Dimitri asked me. I felt betrayal wash over me until I looked at his face. He wasn't asking because he didn't believe me, he was asking because he didn't want to believe it.

"I'm sure. She saw us," I told him. And I was sure. I have no idea why she would do it. She had pretended to like me. What did she want to accomplish. "If she got rid of me, then there would be nothing in the way. She would be able to comfort you and she believed that eventually you would fall in love with her." I didn't realize I said it out loud until I felt Dimitri stiffen.

He jumped off the bed. "Where are you going?" I asked him as I scrambled after him. He didn't answer, but he didn't need to. I knew exactly where he was going. He was going to Tasha.

I followed him, trying to figure out what he was going to do. Surely he wasn't going to hurt Tasha. The Ozeras may be looked down upon, but they are still royals. Dimitri would be executed if he killed her. But surely he isn't that angry.

One look on his face told me that he was indeed that angry. He walked into the living room where Tasha was still sitting with Christian. Tasha smiled at him at first, but her smile vanished when she took in his expression.

"Dimka?" She asked uncertainly. "Is everything all right."

"Do not call me that," he said. He didn't sound angry, no he sounded worse. He sounded dangerous. He walked closer to her; Tasha was leaning back in the couch, the look of terror clear on her face.

Christian was watching, too confused to react.

"Dimka, I don't understand. What's wrong?" Tasha asked innocently.

"You know what's wrong. I know what you did," Dimitri told her.

"Dimka, I don't know what you're talking about," Tasha lied. The fear in her voice made it extremely obvious that she was not telling the truth.

"You almost killed Rose. You're the reason Mason is dead," he told her. I felt a pang of pain. It wasn't just her fault. Mason came back to protect me. He was safe and he put himself in danger for me.

"You're going to believe her lies over me, your oldest friend?" Tasha asked. I think the pain in her voice was real. She was not happy that Dimitri was choosing me.

"She wouldn't lie to me," Dimitri told her.

"Oh?" Tasha asked. "Like she didn't lie to you about being a boy?"

"That was different," Dimitri told her.

"It wasn't. Your just too blind to see it," Tasha said.

"Get out," Dimitri said, his voice void of emotion. "If you ever come near me or Rose again, you will not like the consequences."

"What are you going to do Dimka?" Tasha challenged. "You wouldn't kill your oldest friend."

"No friend of mine would try to kill the woman I love," Dimitri said. He shot Tasha one last look of hate before he spun around and left. He grabbed my hand, pulling me along with him.

I followed him, my thoughts on what just happened. It went better than I thought it would. Even though I knew he would, I couldn't help the warm feeling that spread through me as I realized, he chose me.


	31. Chapter 31

Dimitri's Point of View

Rage. That's all I was able to feel. I'm sure the betrayal would sink in soon, but right now, all I could think about was Rose's words. If it weren't for her, we would have gotten out of there.

It was Tasha's fault that Mason was dead. It was Tasha's fault that they didn't get out of that house. It was Tasha's fault that Rose had to go through the emotional turmoil slaying a strigoi entails. It was Tasha's fault Rose was in so much pain.

I was barely conscious of standing up, much less heading towards the living room where I knew Christian and Tasha were.

"Where are you going?" I heard Rose ask me. I didn't answer her. She already knew the answer to her question.

I was going to Tasha. I was going to make sure that she understood she was no longer welcome here. Or anywhere near me and Rose. I wasn't going to deny Christian the right to see his aunt, but he was not going to be able to do that here.

When I saw Tasha, my anger only deepened.

She looked up, smiling when she saw me. Her smile disappeared as she looked at me. "Dimka? Is everything all right?" She asked me.

Once upon a time I would have believed the innocent tone in her voice. And I would have believed that she didn't know why I could be mad. But not now. Now when I heard that tone, it just made me feel sick. Sick, angry, and betrayed. We used to be such good friends and now? Now I barely knew the person sitting before me.

"Do not call me that," I said to her angrily. She had no right to use my nickname. That nickname was used by people who cared for me. Tasha proved she didn't care for me when she tried to kill the woman I love. Surely she realizes that it wouldn't do her any good. If Rose had died, I would never have been with her. Her efforts did nothing but ruin any chance we had of a real friendship.

"Dimka, I don't understand. What's wrong?" Tasha asked innocently.

"You know what's wrong. I know what you did," I told her. I was tired of the lies.

"Dimka, I don't know what you're talking about," Tasha lied. Maybe it was just because I knew her, but I could tell she was lying. Or maybe it was because I knew the truth.

"You almost killed Rose. You're the reason Mason is dead," I told her. And I whole-heartedly believed that. While Rose hasn't talked about it yet, I know that she feels she is responsible for Mason's death, but I don't believe that. They would have been fine. They would have gotten out.

"You're going to believe her lies over me, your oldest friend?" Tasha asked. I could hear legitimate pain in her voice. Not because she was telling the truth, but because I was picking Rose.

"She wouldn't lie to me," I told her. I knew that with all my heart. If there's anything I learned since Rose had been captured, it was the truth of this statement. Rose loves me too much to lie to me.

"Oh?" Tasha asked. "Like she didn't lie to you about being a boy?"

"That was different," I told her. And I meant it. Rose didn't lie to me because she had to, she lied to me so she could have the future she wanted. I don't blame her for that. If I were in her shoes, I probably would have done the same. Once she saw that she could trust me and still become a guardian, our entire relationship changed.

"It wasn't. Your just too blind to see it," Tasha said.

"Get out," I said, not even considering her words. She was trying to get to me and I wasn't going to let her succeed. "If you ever come near me or Rose again, you will not like the consequences."

"What are you going to do Dimka?" Tasha challenged. "You wouldn't kill your oldest friend."

"No friend of mine would try to kill the woman I love," I told her. I turned around and walked out, not sparing her a second glance. I grabbed Rose's hand on my way out. I knew she still had more to tell me. I just had to talk to Tasha or else it would be distracting me the entire time I was listening to Rose.

I pulled Rose into our bedroom. I sat down on the bed and she did the same. She quickly snuggled back into my chest. "What else happened Rose?" I asked her.

"I don't know where to start," she told me quietly.

"The beginning is usually a good place," I told her.

I heard her watery chuckle. She took a deep breath and then started talking. She started with when she first left our apartment. And she kept going. She didn't hesitate in her story and it seemed to help her. As she talked, she grew more confident.

When she got to the part where she and Mason were standing against the back wall in the house after Tasha closed the door on them, she stopped abruptly and started chewing on her lip.

"Roza," I said gently. "What is it?"

She opened and closed her mouth several times. She closed her eyes and muttered something so quietly I couldn't tell what it was. "I couldn't hear you Roza," I told her softly. I raised her head and when she opened her eyes, I was surprised to see that they were filled with tears. "Roza, talk to me."

"Mason kissed me," she told me. "I didn't know what to do. It was over really quickly and I didn't feel anything. I wasn't expecting it. One second we're backed against the wall and then in the next he's kissing me. I'm so sorry Dimitri." She was sobbing into my chest.

I rubbed soothing circles into her back as I processed the information she just told me. I have no reason to be angry with her, and I'm not. I realize I'm just jealous. Mason was the last man to kiss her, not me. If she had died, I wouldn't have been the last person she kissed.

Before I realized what I was doing, I pulled her close to me and kissed her. It had been a long time since I had kissed her and I missed the waves of warmth and comfort that rolled over me from the contact with her. When we broke apart, she looked up at me, surprise evident on her face.

"You're not mad?" She asked me surprised.

I looked up at her. "You did absolutely nothing wrong Rose," I told her.

She looked away from me. "I did do something wrong," she whispered. "I let him kiss me. And then I let him die. It's my fault."

"It's not your fault Rose," I told her soothingly.

"You don't understand. He was safe and he came back in for me. He came back in to protect me," she told me.

I lifted her head again so she had no choice but to look up at me. "You didn't make him do that," I told her. "He came back in because he wanted to, not because you made him. He made his own decisions and you couldn't have changed his mind."

I saw her consider my words carefully and I could almost see the burden lifted off her shoulders.

"You mean that, don't you," she asked me quietly. "You really don't blame me?"

I looked at her surprised. And then I realized why she had been so upset. She thought I would blame her. "Rosemarie Hathaway," I said to her. "Did you think I was going to judge you based on what you told me?" I didn't realize until I asked her how true my words were. She was terrified that I would agree with her and that I wouldn't want to be with her because I thought she was responsible for Mason's death.

She looked away from me, shame evident on her face.

I turned her towards me. I carefully lifted up her head and pressed my lips to hers. "Roza, I love you. That will never change. Everything you do amazes me. I am so proud of your accomplishments. It was thanks to you that Eddie and those three moroi made it out of that house safely. It was thanks to you that two more strigoi are gone from this world. You are such an amazing person. Never doubt that," I told her.

She looked up at me and brought her lips up to mine. In that moment, I didn't care if she was having sex with me to make herself feel better. I needed her and I knew she needed me. As we became one, I realized this wasn't about her being sad and wanting to forget about what happened with the strigoi.

This was about us sharing a love so deep, we couldn't bear to spend one more moment apart.


	32. Chapter 32

Rose's Point of View

I woke up early the next morning in the best mood I've been in in a while. It's not like it's been a long, long time since I've had sex with Dimitri, but it's been too long for my liking. I felt a little ashamed of myself. I was impulsive last night. I slept with him because I loved him, but I wasn't sure he would see it that way. I pushed those thoughts from my head.

I was tangled with Dimitri, my head resting against his bare chest and I made no move to change my position. For the first time since I was captured, I felt comfortable and I felt safe.

Our moment was short-lived as Dimitri's phone started to go off. I got up and looked at the Caller ID, hoping to see Viktoria's name. To my surprise, I saw the words Guardian Alto on the screen.

Dimitri was now sitting up in bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. I handed him his phone. "It's Stan," I told him.

Dimitri made a face as he took the phone and I let out a quiet giggle before I composed my face. Stan couldn't know I was here.

"Guardian Belikov," Dimitri said into the phone.

Stan talked for a moment and a look of confusion spread across Dimitri's face. "Of course Guardian Alto," Dimitri said. "I will be there."

Then Dimitri hung up the phone. "What was that about?" I asked him confused.

"Stan said there was going to be an emergency guardian meeting," Dimitri explained to me.

I looked at him surprised. "Do you think this is about Mason?" I asked him nervously.

Dimitri shook his head at me. "I don't think so. We all know about that because of your molnija ceremony yesterday," he told me. "I think this has something to do with whatever he has been working on all summer."

Dimitri complained a couple of times that Stan was constantly making hints about some secret assignment he was working on. At least now he would finally get to know.

Dimitri got up and my eyes widened. He wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing and I could feel the blush spreading across my cheeks.

"What time is your meeting at?" I asked him, pointedly looking at the wall.

"It's not until ten," he told me.

We had woken up early, so we still had two hours until the meeting. It was a late meeting for the guardians, especially considering that they are on a day schedule.

I looked at Dimitri surprised. "That's late," I told him.

He nodded. "Yeah," he agreed, his tone puzzled.

I waited a few more moments before I couldn't help myself. "Planning on getting dressed comrade?" I asked him.

He looked down and seemed surprised to see he wasn't wearing any clothing.

"You're not one to talk Roza," he told me pointing to my exposed body.

I shrugged. "I don't have a meeting to get ready for," I pointed out. I was pointedly staring at the wall. It's not that I didn't want to look at him, but I didn't want him to think I was acting impulsively again. I don't want Dimitri to think the only reason I had sex with him was because I was still upset about Mason.

"Rose," Dimitri said to me. I ignored him. "Rose!" His voice was slightly harsher and I reluctantly looked up at him.

He walked over until he was standing in front of me. His hand cupped my cheek and he lifted my head until I was forced to make eye contact. "Roza, what's wrong?" He asked me gently.

"Nothing," I lied to him.

"Roza," he warned.

"It's nothing Dimitri," I told him, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

"Rose," he said softly. "Why won't you look at me?"

I looked down, unable to help myself. "I don't want you to think it's for the wrong reason," I whispered to him.

"Don't want me to think that what's for the wrong reason?" He asked me confused.

"This," I said motioning to him. My voice was so quiet, I was surprised that he could hear me. "I don't want you to think that I'm trying to distract myself."

Suddenly I was in his arms. "I was wrong to say that before," he whispered to me. "Roza, I am so, so sorry for what I said. I know you weren't trying to distract yourself from Mason's death. I'm sorry it took you being captured and almost killed by strigoi for me to see it, but I realize how much you love me."

"You doubted it?" I asked. I tried to sound like I was joking, but I couldn't mask the legitimate hurt in my voice. I had told him so many times that I loved him.

"No, not exactly," he told me. He closed his eyes. "Roza, when you got captured, I felt as if part of me had gone missing. I realized how wrong I was to accuse you of only wanting to sleep with as a distraction. I knew that you loved me, but after I talked to Christian, I realized just how much. I don't feel whole unless I'm with you and I know you feel the same way. Sex isn't about distractions. It's about love."

I smiled slightly. "But last night…" I trailed off.

He shook his head at me, a smile playing on his lips. "Last night may have been a little impulsive, but it wasn't a distraction. We both needed that," he told me.

"I love you Dimitri," I whispered to him.

He hugged me close to him. "I love you too Roza. More than you can imagine," he whispered back. "And I promise. I'm going to be the man you deserve to be with now."

I pulled back from him. "I will never deserve you Dimitri," I told him sadly. "You are too good, too right." And it was true. It's not Dimitri that has to work to be deserved. It's me. I haven't done anything to deserve the man standing before me.

"You don't see yourself very clearly," Dimitri told me, shaking his head.

I was about to argue back, but I was cut off by his lips on mine. Needless to say all thoughts of who deserved who disappeared. This was pure love.


	33. Chapter 33

Dimitri's Point of View

I arrived at the Academy just in time. I had been a little… uh… held up with Rose.

I was the last guardian to arrive and when I walked in, I was shocked to see the conference hall wasn't just full of guardians, but moroi as well.

I took my seat and waited for Stan to start talking.

"Good evening. I know this meeting is a little late, but it was necessary to maximize the comfort of the moroi present," he explained. "What we are here to discuss today is something I have been working on all summer. Originally, this plan wasn't supposed to happen until next year, but in light of the moroi that were kidnapped by strigoi, the guardian council at Court decided that immediate action needed to be taken. St. Vladimir's Academy will not be a purely guardian school anymore. We will be opening our doors to school-aged male and female moroi. This will provide additional protection to the moroi and will give the dhampirs valuable experience with working with moroi. As the start of the school year draws closer, we will have more meetings about curriculum changes and curriculum additions."

Stan talked for about an hour, but I honestly have no idea what he was saying. The only thing I was thinking about was that moroi were going to be allowed at St. Vladimirs. This was a first. Sure there were Academies for moroi, but there has never been an Academy with both moroi and dhampirs learning together.

Then I realized something else. There was something else that I could do for Rose. There was someone that could come to St. Vladimir's Academy that could make Rose's life a lot easier.

When Stan was done talking, I immediately approached him. "I know a moroi that should be enrolled at St. Vladimir's," I told him.

He looked at me shocked. "We already finished the application process," he told me, ready to disregard anything I had to say.

"Vasilisa Dragomir might be an exception," I told him.

His eyes widened as he considered me. He couldn't deny the last Dragomir a place in his school. "How do you know Princess Dragomir?" He asked me suspiciously.

"I spent half of last year chaperoning her and Mr. Hemmingway," I told him.

He regarded me carefully. Then he handed me a stack of paperwork. I eagerly filled it out. Most of it would have to be filled out by Lissa, but this was just the application. It only needed the basic information that I actually knew about Lissa.

When I finished the paperwork, I turned it into Stan. He turned to me. He handed me an envelope thick with papers. I knew what it was. It was her acceptance letter. "You will personally deliver this to the Princess," he told me. Then he handed me a packet. "She will fill this out and return it to you. I need it back as soon as possible."

I nodded at him, then walked away without another word. My excitement peaked as I walked closer to my car. I couldn't wait to get back to our apartment and tell Rose and Lissa the good news.

As I neared our apartment, I tried to think of the perfect way to tell them that Lissa would be attending St. Vladimir's Academy. As I pulled up, I was hit by a stroke of genius.

I walked inside. "Rose?" I called.

"In here," her voice came from the living room.

I walked towards the living room. Rose was sitting on the couch, talking to Lissa. She looked happier than she had in a while. She stood up when I walked in and greeted me with a kiss.

"What was the meeting about?" She asked me.

"Just some curriculum changes at St. Vladimir's," I told her. It wasn't entirely a lie. I turned to Lissa. "Princess, when do you have to go back to school?"

Lissa looked up at me confused. "August 20th, why?" she asked me.

"Are you sure it's not August 15th?" I asked her innocently.

She nodded at me. "I'm positive. Why?" She asked again.

"I could have sworn it was the 25th," I told her with a shrug.

Rose looked at me suspiciously. "That's when we go back Comrade," she told me. She knew perfectly well that I was fully aware of that.

I shrugged. "I guess I just got the dates mixed up. Princess, you have mail from your school," I told her, handing her the envelope. Stan gave me the acceptance letter in a plain envelope, so there was no seal of St. Vladimir's on it.

She opened it curiously. "Dimitri, there must be some mistake. This is from…" she immediately cut herself, her eyes widening. I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face.

Rose was looking at Lissa concerned. "Liss, what's wrong?" Rose asked her. She walked over to Lissa's side and started reading the letter over her shoulder. She only read the first two sentences or so, before she squealed and threw herself into my arms.

"Thank you Dimitri!" She said, her arms wrapped tightly around me. She looked up at me. "How did you do it?"

"That's what the meeting was really about today," I admitted. "St. Vladimir's is being turned into an Academy for both moroi and dhampirs. I spoke to Stan and he decided that he could make an exception and let Lissa in even though the application process was over."

I glanced over at Lissa who was still staring at the acceptance letter in shock. "Is she okay?" I asked Rose nervously. I thought Lissa would be excited about this.

Lissa looked up at me after I asked Rose that. "I'm fine," she said in a small voice. Then she was smiling. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" She chanted. She gave me a quick hug then squealed. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You should tell Christian," Rose told her. "I'm sure he'll be excited to hear the news."

"Christian!" Lissa shrieked.

I had to resist the urge to put my hands over my ears. That was extremely ear-piercing. Christian ran into the living room, looking like he expected strigoi to be jumping out of the walls or rabid vipers or something dangerous. When he couldn't detect the threat, he looked at Lissa concerned. "What's wrong Liss," he asked her.

Wordlessly, she handed him her acceptance letter to St. Vladimir's Academy. Christian stared at it uncertainly. "Is… is this real?" He asked her uncertainly.

Lissa nodded at him. "So let me get this straight. You're going to be going to school with me?" He asked her hopefully. Lissa nodded. In the next second, Christian was kissing her. I actually looked away. This wasn't something I needed to see.

Rose turned and grabbing my hand, led me from the living room. When we got out to the hallway, Rose turned to me. "Thank you," she said softly, giving me another kiss.

I smiled at her. "I'm glad you like it," I told her.

She leaned up and kissed me again than rested her head on my chest. This was perfection.


	34. Chapter 34

Rose's Point of View

I felt my chest tighten as I watched Dimitri drive away. He'll be back, I had to remind myself. He'll be fine. After my recent encounter with strigoi, the idea of Dimitri being out while its dark out nearly gave me a panic attack. I wasn't about to tell Dimitri that though. I bustled around, trying to find something to do to distract myself. A rumbling in my stomach reminded me that I hadn't eaten breakfast yet.

Since the extent of my cooking abilities including burning toast, I didn't even attempt anything more difficult than cereal. I was just starting on my first bowl of cereal when Lissa bustled into the kitchen.

She glanced at me as she walked in, then looked back at me surprised. "You're up early," she told me.

I shrugged. "I woke up early today. And Dimitri had to go to a meeting at St. Vladimir's so I didn't try to go back to sleep," I explained. "Where's Christian?"

"He spent the night at Tasha's," Lissa explained. She looked at my bowl of cereal. "I know that's not all you're going to eat. Would you like some pancakes?"

I looked at her surprised. "Yeah," I told her.

She started bustling around the kitchen pulling out the various ingredients she needed for pancakes.

"How are you Liss?" I asked her curiously. I have been so overwhelmed with everything going on in my life I have barely spared a thought for my best friend. I haven't had a real conversation with her in a long time. Between Christian and everything going on with me, there hasn't been time to. Don't get me wrong. I'm happy she has Christian in her life. I just miss my best friend.

"I'm good Rose. I really am," she told me honestly. She bit her lip. "Better than good actually."

I looked at her curiously. "Better than good?" I asked her.

She bit her lip. "How are you Rose?" She asked me. I could hear legitimate concern.

I was surprised by her change of subject, but I answered her honestly. "I'm fine Liss," I told her. "I really am." I was also surprised by the truth of that statement. After I talked to Dimitri last night and after our late night and early morning activities, I felt better than I had in a while.

She smiled at me slightly. "I'm glad to hear that," she told me honestly. "And you know Rose. You can talk to me about anything."

I hesitated. I wasn't sure if I could talk about it again. "You know that goes for you too Liss," I told her. It's definitely a two-way street.

"I know," she told me. She put pancakes on two plates. She gave me a huge stack and only gave herself about three. "Why don't we go eat in the living room?"

I nodded at her eagerly. She handed me my plate and I followed her to the living room.

The second we sat down, she turned to me. "I had sex with Christian," she told me.

I grinned at her. I had known this, but I was happy she finally told me about it. "How was it?" I asked her.

"I didn't understand what you meant," Lissa told me. "When you first slept with Dimitri? But now I understand. I felt the same way."

"I'm glad to hear it. You really love him don't you?" I asked her.

"I really do Rose," she told me. "I didn't know it was possible to feel this way."

I grinned at her. "I'm happy for you Liss," I told her. "If you ever tell Christian this, I will deny it, but he's good for you."

"Thanks Rose," she told me.

We ate in silence for a moment. "So how are you really Rose?" She asked me.

"I'm fine," I told her. "Or I'm getting there."

"Do… do you want to talk about it?" She asked me hesitantly.

I looked up at her. She was ready to listen, ready to help. She opened up to me, maybe now it's my turn. Before I knew what was happening, I was talking. I told her everything. I told her about my fight with Dimitri, I told her about Tasha, I told her about Mason. At some point, I was crying, but she was there to hug me and reassure me. After I had told her everything, I felt so much better.

When I had finished talking, Lissa got up and handed me a tissue. "I'm sorry about Tasha," she told me.

I shrugged. "There's nothing you can do about it," I told her. "I just don't understand why she did it."

"Neither do I," a voice said from the doorway.

I turned, shocked to see Christian standing there. I hadn't even heard him. "How long have you been standing there?" I asked him curiously.

"Since you started talking about Aunt Tasha," he told me. "She refused to tell me why she was kicked out, insisting she didn't do anything wrong. When I heard you say her name, I couldn't help myself. I started listening." I wasn't angry with him. I understood. "I'm going to leave you two to talk."

I really appreciated that. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I had a best friend. "Thanks Christian," I told him. He walked out, heading to his room I presume.

"You're not mad at him?" Lissa asked me curiously.

I shook my head. "I guess I understand why he would want to. I would have done the same thing," I told her.

"You two are very similar," Lissa said.

I looked at her horrified. "No I'm not," I told her.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Lissa said amused.

I rolled my eyes at her. "It is," I muttered.

She gently through her pillow at me.

We fell into a fit of giggles. We spent a couple more minutes talking before Dimitri came home.

"Rose?" He called.

"In here," I told him.

When he walked into the living room, I couldn't help myself. I got up and kissed him. I was so excited that he was home.

"What was the meeting about?" I asked him.

"Just some curriculum changes at St. Vladimir's," he told me. "Princess, when do you have to go back to school?"

Lissa looked up at him confused. "August 20th, why?" she asked him. I was confused as well.

"Are you sure it's not August 15th?" He asked her.

Lissa nodded at him. "I'm positive. Why?" She asked again.

"I could have sworn it was the 25th," he told her, shrugging.

I looked at him suspiciously. "That's when we go back Comrade," I told him. I knew he knew that. Especially if he just came from a meeting at the Academy.

Dimitri shrugged. "I guess I just got the dates mixed up. Princess, you have mail from your school," he said, handing Lissa an envelope.

Lissa opened the letter. "Dimitri, there must be some mistake. This is from…" Lissa started to say. She cut herself off and her eyes widened

I looked at her concerned. "Liss, what's wrong?" I asked her. I walked over to her and started to read the letter.

Vasilisa Dragomir,

Congratulations on being accepted into St. Vladimir's Academy.

I didn't read any further. I ran over to Dimitri. "Thank you Dimitri!" I said as I hugged him. "How did you do it?"

"That's what the meeting was really about today," he admitted. "St. Vladimir's is being turned into an Academy for both moroi and dhampirs. I spoke to Stan and he decided that he could make an exception and let Lissa in even though the application process was over."

"Is she okay?" he asked me, looking legitimately concerned.

"I'm fine," Lissa said. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" She chanted. She hugged Dimitri and then squealed. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You should tell Christian," I told her. He could use some cheering up after he heard about his aunt. "I'm sure he'll be excited to hear the news."

"Christian!" Lissa shrieked. I could hear a ringing in my ears after her yell. Christian ran into the living room. He looked around.

"What's wrong Liss," he asked her.

Lissa handed him her acceptance letter to St. Vladimir's Academy. Christian read it. "Is… is this real?" He asked her like he couldn't believe his eyes.

Lissa nodded at him. "So let me get this straight. You're going to be going to school with me?" He asked her. When Lissa nodded, he kissed her passionately.

I had to hide my smile at Dimitri's uncomfortable expression. I turned and grabbed Dimitri's hand. I think it's time to give them some alone time.

When we got into the hallway, I turned to Dimitri. "Thank you," I told him, giving him a small kiss.

He smiled down at me. "I'm glad you like it," he told me.

I leaned up and kissed him. Then I rested my head on his shoulder. I couldn't believe it. Lissa was going to school with me!


End file.
